Blind Love
by LunarBlade Valentine
Summary: In order to help Vincent to get over Lucrecia's death, Cid literally throws him back to the dating market, where he goes on a date with someone rather unexpected. Further exploration of Cid and Vincent's friendship and Vincent's healing after past pains.
1. Blind Love

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I wrote this story a pretty long time ago. I think that I've improven since then, but I still kainda linke the way it turned out. I hope you will enjoy it too! If you notice any mistypes or\and grammer problems, please tell me! Since I wrote it about a year or two ago, my English was worse than it is today.

Thanks, and enjoy the show!

**_Blind Love_**

Vincent stood up. 

He signed.

There was nothing more he could do. 

She was dead.

Cid put a comforting hand on Vincent's shoulder. Vincent turned to him with a sad smile and nodded. He'll be fine.

He took one last glance at the lonely tombstone. The red roses he had placed at its base did little to cheer up its bleakness.

Vincent turned to Cid and nodded once, he was ready to go back now. 

They silently walked back to the house.

He'll be fine, he didn't have much of a choice, anyway.

Neither Vincent nor Cid spoke until they got into the house.

"You okey, Vince?" Asked Cid as they took off their coats and scarfs.

Vincent sighed,

"I'll be fine."

"You better be! I'll be sure to remind you of your promise, so don't pretend you'll forget."

Shera, being out of the house for the day, left a kettle of tea near the fire with a little note of instructions. Both men knew little about house keeping.

Vincent read the instructions and followed them, making both of them some tea.

"I *will* try to fulfill my promise, even if it kills me."

Cid sat down near the table, lifting his legs on it.

"I seriously doubt that trying to go on with your life'll kill you, Vince."

"You never know." Vincent humored as he purred both some tea.

Cid smiled, then said with a definite note,

"Well, when do you want to start?"

Vincent looked at him, confused,

"Start what?"

"Dating, what else?" Cid said, burning his fingers on the tea cup.

That last remark left Vincent somewhat speechless,

"Uhhh, Well, umm... Give me some time, we have just only came back from her grave!"

Cid frowned,

"We agreed that you'll stop thinking about her,"

"It takes a while, I can not just stop dead on..."

Cid smiled a wicked smile,

"You had your time, 'till noon tomorrow, I promise you'll have a date,"

Vincent looked very much uncomfortable with all that,

"Cid-" he started protesting, but Cid silenced him with a dismissive gesture

"No, Vince', I'll take care of everything, you just find something... Else to wear for tomorrow night."

Both of them looked at what Vincent was wearing; The crimson bandanna, the blood red cape, the black clothes, the pointy boots.

"Ya, definitely find something else to wear..."

Vincent grumbled and went to find some other clothing,

"You can use some of mine, if you like!" Called Cid after him, himself getting up from the kitchen table and sitting by the computer. He flexed his fingers and started typing.

After a while Vincent came out of his room, he came and looked over Cid's shoulder,

"So, found something to wear?" Asked Cid, smiling

Vincent nodded once. He noticed what was on Cid's computer, and frowned,

"Blind dates?? Well, I never..."

Cid's grin widened at his friend's discomfort

"Don't worry, I'll find someone who thinks Vampires are sexy," he teased him, while typing away.

Vincent turned to another tactics: begging,

"Please, Cid, don't make me go on a blind date!"

Cid was rather surprised at Vincent's stress on the matter. He blinked.

Vincent sighed,

"Cid, do you have any idea when was the last time I was on a date? When was the last time I spent time with a woman's company?"

"For crying out loud, Vince'! Your last name's Valentine! I'm sure you can still manage to charm some girls!"

"I'm 57! I'm not supposed to be going on blind dates!" he desperately tried,

"Well, your not supposed to look that good at your age, either! Or have red eyes or a claw. So shut yer yap and take these cards." 

Vincent sighed, this was not going as he planned. He knew that Cid had a point, but it *has* been a long time since he went on a date, and he wasn't sure that he had it in him. He took the cards the printer had generously provided and went to the living room, flipping through them,

"Blond, blond, blond, blond, blond... Cid, have you given me someone who isn't blond?"

Cid came to sit by him one the sofa,

"You have something against blonds?" He demanded, passing his hand meaningfully through his hair,

"No, but-"

"Just shut up and pick someone you like." 

"I'll get my revenge someday," Vincent miserably said as he picked, almost randomly a card, he read it,

"Blond, brown eyes, 5' 6", 25, blood type: AB-, would like someone serious and down to earth, preferably older who will be interested in a deeper relationship than just-"

"That's the girl for you!" Exclaimed Cid happily. He grabbed Vincent's arm and dragged him back to the computer, 

"Now, all we have to do is send her your card and if she agrees, then you have yourself a date!"

"Cid, there isn't a chance in the world that she'll-"

Cid ignored him, he was having too much fun to listen to his whining,

"Shut up. Hair: Black, Eyes: Hmm... Mind in I write the truth?"

Vincent sighed with irritation,

"Write whatever you want..."

"Very well, Eyes: particular brown..."

" 'particular brown?' that an interesting way to put it-"

"Shut up. What's your height?"

" 6' " Vincent said, bringing a chair near the computer, 

"Blood type?"

"A"

"Umm... What should I write for your age?"

"27, I guess... that's how I look like, anyway... But Cid, are you sure-"

"Shut up. 27, okey. Now we need your description," Cid looked at Vincent in anticipation. 

Vincent noticed that Cid was having a grand time, he looked so happy and enthusiastic. Well, if you can't beat them, join them. He gave up.

"Write whatever you want, don't look at me for a description of myself..."

Cid thoughtfully scratched his chin, looking at Vincent. After a moment he started to write vivaciously. Vincent leaned closer to read what Cid was writing about him.

"A mystical man, stern and upright while at the same time dark and mysterious.His past connection with Shinra, Inc. is what made him join Cloud and the others.He may seem frail at first glance, but hidden inside his body lurks a fearsome power."

"Hmmm.." Said Vincent "That is quite-"

"Shut up."

"I was going to say 'nice'."

"Oh."

"Perhaps you should drop the 'me joining Cloud' part, and the 'fearsome power' part, I'm not sure that's very... You know..."

"Hmm, I guess you're right," Cid erased those parts, mentally cheering that Vincent had finally consented to his fate.

"I see you're not mentioning the claw," Said Vincent in a mixture of interest and mild agitation with himself, or rather, the claw, as Cid sent the computer card to the Dating Service. 

"What she doesn't know can't hurt her." Concluded Cid, with a definite pressing of the 'Enter'.

"Here goes nothing," Sighed Vincent,

Vincent said there wasn't a chance in the world she'll agree. Cid promised that by noon the next day, she'll say yes.

The wagered the last remaining ice cream in the freezer.

She said yes at 12:01, so they split the ice-cream between them.

"I'm so happy for you, Vincent!" Exclaimed Shera when Cid told her about the date,

"It's not like I'm going to merry her, it's just a date..."

"Yes, but it's *you* dating... Anyway, I'm sure that the lady you're going to meet is very lucky. If I was going to a blind date with a handsome dark stranger like yourself, I wou-" She stopped when she noticed Cid's harsh and somewhat insulted glare.

Vincent almost blushed,

"Thanks... But I doubt she'll think the same..."

Shera turned Vincent around and pushed him to his room,

"Now go change, you have to meet her at 8 o'clock and it's almost 7!"

After he hesitantly went to his room, Shera turned to Cid.

He was sitting and watching TV. she had a feeling that he was deliberately ignoring him as she sat down on a sofa near him.

Nither spoke.

The TV flashed unearthly colors upon their faces and the walls.

After a few moments, Shera said in an attempt to start a conversation,

"Aren't you proud of Vincent?"

Cid didn't take his eyes off the screen,

"Ya... It took him a %^$@ long time to get over that Lucrecia chick..."

She nodded,

"I'm not sure that he's totally over her yet, but I think it's very healthy for him to try,"

"Ya..." He then suddenly turned the TV off and, still staring at the blank screen, asked Shera gently and almost timidly,

"You really think that if someone like Vincent would come and offered you to go with him on a date, you'll agree?"

Shera was impressed with the direct question. Cid never asked such a question before, and in such tone...

"Well," She began. Cid turned to look at her with his sea blue eyes, "All I was going to say was that I would be flattered that someone like that would like to go out with me, that's all"

Cid was about to say something when Vincent got out of his room. 

He was wearing a dark navy blue suit with a tie. It fitted him almost as if it was tailored especially for his lean figure.

He looked extraordinarily good, no doubt. 

Cid thought the suit looked a bit familiar.

"Hey, isn't that a Turk uniform?" Cid asked, finally recognizing the outfit.

Vincent nodded once,

"It's an old design though, so only former Shinra employs can possibly recognize it." 

Shera came closer to Vincent and started to tidy him up. Smoothing a crease in his shirt here, folding his sleeve there.

"Don't you have anything else?" she asked 

"I told you, you could use some of mine." Said Cid as he took a flower from the vase and stuck it elegantly as a broche'. 

Vincent felt very awkward with all the attention.

"I thank you for offering, but I fear your clothes don't fit me all that well."

Cid and Shera stepped back to see how Vincent looked now.

Better, except for the hair…

"Oh, no, you shouldn't be wearing that bandanna…" said Shera while advancing to take it. Vincent retreated back,

"But I need my bandanna to see!" he protested.

Nonetheless, Shera snatched the bandanna straight off his head. His luxuriant hair bounced freely in messy, thick strands in front of his face.

"Your hair is hopeless!" Shera laughed, putting one hand on her mouth to hide her giggling. He tried in vain to foo the hair from his face.

She then came behind him and, using the bandanna, tied his hair into a lose pony tail. 

She came by Cid to observe the current situation.

He looked swell; His suit fitted him like a glove, his hair was mostly out of his face, (except for a few bangs that were too short to be tied in the ponytail, and dangled in front of him) he had a white broch, and a miserable expression.

"It's not so bad! Cheer up! You look wonderful." She exclaimed happily,

"Ya, go to the new bar at the Golden Saucer and knock 'em dead!" Encouraged Cid.

Vincent sighed, he felt too old for all this.

"I just remembered something," He said. He picked up his gun and holster and buckled them under his shirt, much to Shera's and Cid displeasure.

He noticed them glaring at him and said with an innocent look,

"You never know…"

Shera sighed in annoyance, and Cid thought that his Turk suit was effecting his brain.

Cid only smiled and took the gun from him, ignoring his protests.

It was time.

"Now don't forget to be nice!"

"And don't spook her out with your gloom-Doom attitude!"

"Be a gentleman,"

"And don't bite her neck!"

That last remark earned Cid a frown from both Vincent and Shera. Cid scratched the back of his head,

"Not _too_ strong, anyway…"

Vincent rolled his eyes to the sky and got into the car. Even his parents wouldn't have done such a fuss, if they were alive, he pondered as he drove to the Golden Saucer.

Vincent entered the bar at the Golden Saucer. It was almost completely empty, except for a few couples that sat completely absorbed in their whispered conversation. 

Vincent approached the bar and ordered a light drink. He tried to be as less conspicuous as he could. He was feeling *very* awkward. He felt like he wanted to hide behind something until he'll totally disappear. Why did he ever agree? He asked himself as time went by and not a single blond, brown eyed girl entered the bar. He then remembered that he didn't agree at all; Cid never asked him if he wanted. He internally shrugged, he was here now, and he might as well try and enjoy it. The barman, a fat, merry looking man eyed Vincent meaningfully,

"Are ya waitin' for somone, laddie?"

Vincent was glancing towards the door all the time. He straightened his tie, and nodded once,

"Yes, I am."

"A lady?" asked the barman with a smile,

Vincent, embarrassed as he felt, nodded.

The barman laughed a hearty laugh and patted Vincent on the back from across the bar-table,

"That's the spirit, laddie. At yaur age I was already married with me Sally, don'cha know."

Vincent examined the barman. He's not even my age yet, he reflected. The barman seemed to be a man in his early fourtees. Vincent couldn't repress a sigh, he felt old, ancient even.

Someone came to sit on the chair next to him by the bar, but he ignored. After a short moment he felt like he was being watched. Glancing aside, his crimson eyes met those of the lady that sat by the bar near him.

"Hello," she said. She had long dark hair and brown eyes.

"Hello," replied Vincent curtly.

"You come here often?" she asked lamely.

Vincent, who, as he said before was 'out of the market' for a brief generation, was totally oblivious to her hidden meaning.

"No."

He kept glancing at the door.

She smiled and looked at the door too, trying to see what's so fascinating there.

"Waiting for someone?"

Vincent fidgeted in his chair, and looked down at his glass,

"Yes. My date..."

She seemed disappointed for some reason beyond him. She then leaned closer to him, grabbed his tie and pulled his face very close to hers. 

"I think you're cute- are you sure you're not doing any mistake with that girl of yours?"

Vincent, a brave man by all terms, was slightly frightened by this woman.

"Ahh... Well... Ah..." 

he tried to make her let go of his poor tie by trying to pray her fingers off of it.

She was a stubborn little lady.

After having little success, he tried with his claw.

She screamed at the sight of it and ran away from the bar. Never to return.

He straightened his ruffled tie stoically as people glanced to his direction to see what was all the commotion. He rigidly turned his back to them, returning to his drink.

Time went by, his glass slowly emptied.

A soft tap on his shoulder made him turn around,

"Ummm…" Said the cute blond lady in front of him, "You here from the… Blind dating thingie?"

Vincent nodded before he recognized the lady,

"Elena?!"

"Vincent?!"

Each of them took a surprised step back. They stood some distance from each other, not quite knowing what to do or say.

"There's really no reason for us to fight, right?"

"Not that I see." Said Vincent cautiously, 

They both examined the other with both interest and suspicion. Elena was wearing a light blue dress that flattered her slim figure. Elena noticed that that odd looking vampire that she had met at the Shinra times was quite different from this handsome man in front of her today.

"So I guess the date's canceled?" Asked Vincent.

"Well," Elena Said, looking at the ceiling, "If you still want to, then…"

Vincent smiled, 

"I'll be delighted."

Elena's smile widened,

"Where do you want to go?"

Vincent shrugged,

"Whereever you want," he offered her his arm, and she took it gladly,

"You're such a gentleman," She said, laughing,

"What are you doing Blind Dating, anyway?" She asked

"Well," He said, passing his claw in hair, "Remember Cid? He rather forced me to date, so I will get over… An old love affair."

"Oh," They started walking to the Chocobo Square, "What happened? To your love?"

Vincent looked at his feet,

"She died." He said shortly, trying to keep his tone emotionless.

"That's sad," Elena said with genuine sympathy. "That's my story too, really. Rude and Reno insisted that I date again to get over… Tseng."

Vincent didn't know what to say to help, so he just nodded.

"How long ago did she die?" she asked, and then blushed, "If you don't mind me asking…"

"It's okey," he assured her, "She died about thirty years ago,"

Elena stopped short with that remark,

"How old **are** you?" She asked, confused.

"27." After understanding the logical flaw, he added, "It's a _long_ story…"

She shrugged and they continued to the Chocobos.

"What about you?" Vincent asked, trying to converse,

"I live with Rude and Reno now, it's easier to split the rent that way." She answered, "We just live together, just it, nothing more…" She felt a need to add.

"Say, you know that your suit really reminds me of my Turk uniform?"

He smiled,

"I never noticed that," For some reason, he didn't want to tell her he was a Turk… that would lead to explaining about his past. He wanted to forget the past more anything else right now.

They were practically everywhere in the Golden Saucer. As much as they both found it hard to admit, they had a great time together.

"The play was… Odd." Said Elena as they left the Event Square,

"I now understand why Cid found it so hard to keep awake during it," Said Vincent, stretching a little from the stiffening sitting,

"I don't think 'Loveless' is the right name for it," he said as they walked to the Station, "Perhaps 'Pointless' would be a better name for it."

Elena giggled. He smiled.

At the station, Vincent asked,

"May I offer you a ride home?" he indicated his car,

Elena nodded,

"Oh, yes, thank you!"

He was such a perfect gentleman, Elena noted to herself as he opened the car door for her. Never in the time spent together did he do anything… 'manly', E.I.; putting an arm around her shoulders, or offering anything.

She sat in the car and they drove away.

Shera and Cid were watching a movie together on TV, they made popcorn and the movie was very romantic.

How Shera would wish that Cid would put his hand over her shoulders. Sitting so close to each other on the couch, Shera almost couldn't repress an urge to snuggle on his shoulder. 

He wasn't even smoking.

How Cid wished that he had the guts to put his hand over her shoulders, and bring her closer to him. Sitting so close to each other on the couch, he almost couldn't repress an urge to do so. His condition was so bad, he agreed with himself, that he even wanted to lean his head on hers.

She even had perfume.

The movie went on without either of them doing anything.

They ate the popcorn and watched the romantic movie.

Of all movies to put on TV tonight! They both silently cursed.

If he would put his hand over her shoulder, she would run away, she would not understand…

If she would put her head on his shoulder, he would be mad at her, he would not understand…

They were running low on popcorn.

"Thank you for…" Stammered Vincent, he wasn't good with words. He had just escorted her to her home door.

"Ya, thank you too…" Elena bashfully answered, then she added,

"You want to come in and have a drink or something? As thanks for taking me home?"

Vincent hesitated a minute,

"Please don't say no! I'll feel ungrateful."

He smiled,

"Sure."

Elena opened the door, the room was dark,

"Where are Reno and Rude?"

Like an answer to his question, Vincent felt a hard jab at the back of his head that sent his off balance. He fell face first to the floor. A heavy weight pinned his hands to the floor.

Upon opening one eye, he met the sparkling end of the Nightstaff. An angry Reno held it.

"GET OFFA HIM!!" Elena shrieked. 

"Don't you know who this is?! This is one of them Avalanche people!" Reno said, waving his Nightstaff in front of Vincent's face. 

Vincent wished the end would stop sparkling with electricitylike that.

"I know, you big dolt! But like the Turks, there **is** no more Avalanche! And that's my date you're sitting on!!" The last remark was directed to Rude, who was holding Vincent to the floor. He let him go.

Vincent slowly got up and rubbed his aching neck with his claw.

Reno pointed accusingly his weapon at the metallic limb,

"What about that?" He asked angrily,

Elena placed her hands on her hips, 

"What _about_ it?"

Reno didn't know how to answer that, he pouted and crossed his hands across his chest.

"Then what was he doing following you home?" Asked Rude,

"He didn't follow me! He offered me a ride home from the Golden Saucer, and I invited him to a drink!"

Vincent noticed that there was some blood on his claw. He gingerly touched the back of his head with his healthy hand. Yes, he was bleeding a bit.

Although he tried to conceal that fact, Elena noticed and quickly insisted him to sit down and she'll treat him.

She gave both Rude and Reno a hard look, they both left to their rooms.

"I'm _sooooo_ sorry!" She said as she moved his ponytail to examine the wound,

"It's okey, it doesn't hurt," he lied. In fact, it really did hurt quiet a bit, and he felt dizzy.

"Those stupid gits! Attacking you like that!" she then sighed, "They sometimes tend to be a bit over protective of me..."

She placed a small bandage after cleaning the wound.

"I'm sorry." She said again, sitting on a chair at the table,

He smiled a reassuring smile, 

"I'm fine, really, I am. But I think I should be heading home…" He got up and fell down to the chair again, he was giddier then he expected.

She got up and helped him to his feet,

"Do you want me to drive you home?" She offered, fearing that he'll have an accident.

"I live with Cid at Rocket Town, it's pretty far from here, how will you get back? No, I'll be fine."

She stayed close as he walked to the door, in case he would lose his balance.

"Thanks for offering, anyway," He added,

Vincent drove very slowly home.

He arrived a short time after midnight. He staggered into the house, his headache worsened. That Reno knew how to hit with that Nightstaff. 

Cid and Shera, still watching the movie, were very alarmed when Vincent almost fell through the door.

Cid ran to Vincent and helped him,

"What the #$^&^ happened to you?"

Vincent balanced himself,

"N…Nothing, I just fell…"

Cid helped him to the sofa,

"Like hell you did!"

Vincent collapsed full length on the sofa with a sigh of relief.

"Mind if I tell you in the morning, Cid? I'm really tired now…"

"Sure, buddy. You rest."

Vincent was already asleep. His head resting on the handle of the chair, his legs on the other side of the sofa hanging in the air, for the sofa was to short for Vincent's height. His healthy hand rested on his chest and the other one dangling to the floor.

Cid smiled as he watched his friend's slow breathing.

"Good night." Said Shera as she went to her room.

"G'night, Shera. G'night Vince'."

"Did you, or didn't you have fun? Just answer me."

"I _told_ you already that it was nice." Answered Vincent.

"You haven't told us her name yet," Said Shera as she placed the morning tea on the table.

"Aah… Well… She's-" he was cut short by a ring of the doorbell,

"I'll get it," Said Cid and got up from breakfast. After a short moment Cid's voice could be clearly heard shouting,

"*^#&*$%!!!"

Both Vincent and Shera ran to the living room, where they saw Cid holding the door open with Elena standing in the doorway. By her feet were broken glass shards and some scattered cookies.

Cid was about to reach for his lance if Vincent hadn't stopped him by placing a hand on his arm.

Cid looked at him, surprised,

"Errr... Cid, Shera- Meet my date from last night, Elena."

"%#%^(@" Cid said usefully.

"Nice to meet you." Said Shera. Having no experience fighting the Turks whatsoever. 

Elena greeted her back and then bent to pick over the glass plate which she dropped earlier. 

Vincent bent down to help immediately.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he helped her gather the cookies and glass. Using his claw eliminated the danger of being cut.

"Umm... Well, I kinda wanted to be sure you're okey." She replied as she and Vincent got up from the floor.

Vincent gave her the pieces he gathered, however, they slip from his claw to the floor before he reached her hand.

They knocked their heads together as they both bent to pick the pieces up.

Vincent again gave her the pieces, this time holding them with his healthy hand. He cut himself, but said nothing.

"She was your date?" asked Cid, eyeing Elena closely.

Vincent nodded.

"I was afraid that you'll have a car accident," Elena started, "I brought you these cookies," she indicated the cataclysmic wreckage in her hands, "as an apology for that silly Reno for hitting yo- why are you doing those gestures?"

Vincent was trying desperately to signal her not to tell them. After she did, all he could do was sigh and look sheepishly at Cid, who was frowning contemptuously.

"So _that's_ why you came home all messed up! Why didn't you just tel- Why are you doing those gestures with your hands?"

Vincent nodded his head in dismay. It was Elena's turn to frown contemptuously at Vincent.

"So you _did_ feel bad! Why didn't you tell me?"

Vincent opened his mouth to answer both Cid and Elena, but could not find what to say. He closed his mouth again.

There was a moment of awkward silence as none knew what to say. Shera approached Elena.

"Please _do_ come in! I can't believe you were standing in the doorway all this time... Here, let me take this from you ..." Shera took the pieces from Elena, and led her to the kitchen. She only looked back once to give the men a hard look for not letting her in.

Cid and Vincent remained in the living room a moment longer.

"So, she nice?" asked Cid out of lack of anything else to say.

"Ya... I guess. I enjoyed the date. But I don't know about her- It **is** me we're talking abou- Where are you going with that smirk?!" The last remark was directed to the fact that Cid was marching to the kitchen with a somewhat sinister smile.

"To ask her to go out with you again!" Cid exclaimed as he entered the kitchen.

Vincent ran after him very quickly.

"... Oh yes, I did." Was what Vincent heard as he entered. Cid, Shera and Elena looked at him, smiling.

"What?" he asked, feeling that he had been left out of something.

Shera turned to the kitchen, while Cid and Elena were still smiling at him.

"Elena's staying for lunch. You don't mind, do you Vince?" Asked Shera.

Vincent shrugged,

"Of course not. Need any help?" he was referring to the making of the lunch. 

"I'm not letting _you_ near my cooking after that last time! But you and Cid can still go and fetch some groceries from the shop." She scribbled down a list and gave it to them. 

"What happened last time?" asked Elena, much to Vincent's dread.

"Please don't-"

They ignored him,

"One day," started Shera, Vincent shook his head with frustration and placed one hand on his face. He hated that story.

"One day Cid and Vincent wanted to make me a surprise breakfast in bed, 'couse it was my birthday. Vincent was in charge of making porridge. That was the first mistake." Vincent didn't find it as amusing as the others for some reason. Why is it that when someone that you're trying to look good in front comes over that the other people around you feel like humiliating you _just then_?

Shera continued, oblivious to Vincent's torture.

"I never ate porridge that day. See, they did it so I won't have to work, I was working rather hard at the time, and they wanted me to rest."

"What happened?" Asked Elena, engrossed in the story. 

'Here comes the worst part...' Vincent prepared himself.

"What happened? What happened was that Vinnie here used so much of the wrong ingredients that the porridge never came out of the pot. I worked hard and long, trying to free the unrecognizable matter inside. In the end we actually had to throw the whole pot away, contents and all." 

Vincent only rolled his eyes as they laughed.

"I was just trying to help..." he mumbled, "It's not my fault that someone put the plaster beside the flour." 

This did little to stop them from laughing.

"I know... I know Vincent," giggled Shera, "But it's still funny..."

Cid placed on hand on Vincent's shoulder,

"We better be going now."

Vincent looked at Elena, he felt bad leaving her here like that. 

"Is it okey with you?" he asked uncomfortably.

She nodded her cute little head.

As Vincent past Cid he mumbled in a low voice

"I _will_ have my revenge..."

Cid smiled and followed him to the car.


	2. 2: Gotta Dance!

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**_Blind Love, Chapter 2: 'Gotta dance!'_**

In the car, that Cid was driving, Vincent noticed that Cid was looking depressed.

"What's on your mind, Cid?"

Cid looked up in surprise, his thoughts were elsewhere.

"Shera." He said, slight irritation in his voice.

"What about her?" Vincent inquired, even though he had a clear assumption of 'what about her and Cid'.

Cid frowned,

"She's on my mind, that's all."

Vincent smiled sagaciously, perhaps even with a tinge of evil,

"I _wonder_ why **she** will be on _your_ mind...?"

Cid smiled an embarrassed little smile. Sometimes they really could see through each other.

"You like her, don't you? I mean, _like_ her, like her..." Vincent asked gently.

Cid frowned,

"Ya... I think..."

They were both silent a long moment. The scenery flew by.

"You understand," said Cid, "That one word from you equals instant death, right?"

Vincent gave him a serious look,

"Of course"

"Promise?"

"Certainly." He then looked back at the scenery and a sinister smile graced his lips just a moment. Beside him, where Cid could not see, he crossed his fingers. 

Before they entered the supermarket, Cid remembered,

"Don't forget to wear the cast."

Vincent thanked Cid for reminding him and placed a 'clip on' cast over his claw.

After what happened the first time they came, and the cashier saw Vincent's claw, they didn't want to take any chances. 

They returned form there an hour or so later. They entered the house while passionately discussing the ups and downs of dental floss.

"Are they always like this?" asked Elena,

"Yup," answered Shera, unpacking the heavy parcels, "Sometimes it's even worse, you should have seen the discussion about melting ice cream cones."

Cid entered with more bags from the car, and after him Vincent, his hands full as well.

"Well, **obviously** you don't use dental floss, I bet the fangs always tear it."

Vincent placed the bags on the counter and rolled his eyes.

"Why do you always call him a Vampire?" asked Elena, not accepting that Shera will do all the work, and helping arrange the contents.

Cid playfully punched Vincent's shoulder as the later placed dishes on the table,

"'couse he's our own personal Vampire, that's why. Hey, we found him in a bloody coffin, for cryin' out loud."

"Don't remind me..." Vincent murmured.

A ring at the door bell stopped Elena before she had a chance of inquiring on the subject.

Cid was about to go answer it, but Shera stopped him with a friendly hand on his arm, 

"I'll get it," she said, a certain tremor in her voice, "you just sit down and... Relax."

"?" Cid asked, but all Vincent could do was shrug.

The look on Cid's face as Shera came back to the kitchen with Reno and Rude was priceless. His muscles stiffened involuntarily at the sight of them.

"I hope you don't mind me inviting Elena's friends over, do you?" Shera asked with a sheepish smile, she had a clear knowing of Cid's attitude towards everything that had to do with ShinRa. 

"I damn-" He started angrily. Vincent nonchalantly whacked him on the back of his head (which silenced him efficiently long enough for Vincent to say-)

"Of course we don't."

Cid rubbed the back of his head and murmured something under his breath.

Vincent whacked him again, and said in a low voice,

"I'm neither a Vampire, nor stupid. And you tend to forget that I have a good hearing."

"So... what was it the Turks did?" asked Shera politely,

All former Turks seated at the lunch fidgeted uncomfortably, they looked at each other,

"Err... we were..." started Reno with a slight blush, "... Shinra's Manufacturing Department in Administrative Research." 

"That's quite a name, but what does it mean?"

The Turks looked at her miserably, they were hoping that she would get the hint from that evasive answer.

"The Turks are the people who used to go and look for new SOLDEIR men and women." Concluded Vincent, not as much as lying as not totally telling the whole truth. Shera still seemed baffled,

"Then why did you guys used to beat each other up ?"

Now **all** the people at the table fidgeted,

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" asked Cid, changing the subject, "All that matters is that we're having a great lunch and that we aren't beating each other any more, right?"

Everybody nodded, relieved of the change.

"But what kind of stupid thing to say is 'We might be retreating, but we're still victories', anyway? We won!" asked Cid all of the sudden, remembering how it baffled him when Reno had said it,

Reno rised his chin,

"We used to call that maneuver 'the double headed snake', it's a strategical retreat-"

"Actually" Vincent cut in, "what you did can be called a one headed snake, the 'double' comes when you retreat to an ambush and..."

All three Turks were staring at him,

"What?" he asked defensibly,

"How do you _know_ that?"

"Err... Well... I... Cid, why don't you tell them?" Vincent really didn't wish to talk about his past right now.

"He was a Turk." Helped Cid. Vincent noted to himself that he has to wack Cid again.

"Really?" asked Reno,

Vincent poked his food with the fork, 

"Ya..." 

"What rank?" asked Rude, 

"Captain." He said shortly.

"Wow!" Reno, Rude and Elena exclaimed, "You were, like, a Turk _leader_?" asked Rude, enthusiastic.

Vincent nodded,

"It was some time ago, though," he said,

"What was your call sign?" Reno inquired, not totally believing Vincent.

"I was called 'Shadow'."

Cid frowned,

"You never told me all that,"

Vincent looked at him with a sarcastic smile,

"Well, it's rather irrelevant nowadays, isn't it?"

"You were _the_ Shadow?? The nearly legendary leader on the Turks?" Asked Reno,

"And one of the best Turks ever?" added Rude.

Vincent didn't want to talk about it _at all_, and he didn't want to brag either, but he couldn't evade the subject forever,so he nodded.

"Cool!" Reno and Rude said in unison. Elena didn't seem all that enthusiastic. 

Vincent regretted that the subject ever came up.

After dinner, Vincent was involuntarily volunteered to wash the dishes. The others went to the living room and turned on the radio.

Reno, Cid, Rude and Shera talked about trivial things. It took Rude and Reno some effort to be at ease with their hosts, after what they all been through. Elena noted that Cid was the same.

A rhythmic song came up.

She decided to go check on Vince', since she really came here to talk to him. 

Upon opening the door, she saw a sight normal mortals rarely see;

Vincent was humming and dancing.

Well, not really dancing, only tapping his legs to the rhythm while scrubbing the dish. He placed the dish in the drying spot with one elegant hop (all coordinated with the music,) and bounced the next dish to his hand on a certain chime in the music.

Elena leaned on the doorway, enjoying the 'view'. He was very agile, she noticed. 

He obviously knew this song. Every dish was washed while his legs did all sorts of dancing hops and moves.

He bent to pick something from a low cabinet, but his legs didn't stop dancing even then.

She had to put one hand over her mouth to stop giggling like a schoolgirl.

He turned around with a hum as he finished the dishes, but stopped short upon seeing Elena in the doorway. The last cup to be put in the cupboard in his hands dropped to the floor.

With lighting speed, he bent and grabbed it millimeters from the floor. And straightened back.

He gulped hard.

"H... How long have you been standing there?" he timidly asked.

"Just entered," She lied, assuming how embarrassed he'll be if she told him she saw him hop about. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason..." he nervously said. Straightening his clothes.She played dumb; shrugging and leaving the kitchen.

He slapped his forehead. He was so irritated with himself, he used his claw.

"He's so uptight" Elena mentioned to Cid when she got back to the living room.

"Ya, sometimes. Sometimes he manages to forget, sometimes he just can't."

Again, the chance to ask was taken away, by Shera this time.

Shera overheard what Elena had said about Vincent. She came to Cid and whispered something in his ear.

An evil, ominous smile crept across Cid's face, he nodded. Elena followed Shera with her eyes. The later came up to a desk and produced from a drawer a CD. 

Vincent came to the living room, drying his hands on a big towel. He noticed the disc Shera was holding,

"NO!" he shouted in alarm.

She tossed it to Cid just as Vincent jumped to take it away from her and most probably destroy it.

Cid opened it nimbly and placed it in the machine.

"DOOONN'''TT!" Vincent begged.

Cid pressed 'play'.

Elena curiously picked up the disk's package.

"Tango?" she asked with much puzzlement. On the other side was written in someone's handwriting on a little note inserted on the back cover:

'Use only in case of emergency!'

The music started, a tango.

"Wh-" she started, but something wrapped itself around her waist and dragged away. 

It was Vincent; he had used the towel as a whip to bring Elena within his reach. 

He had a blood red rose between his teeth.

He put one hand around her waist and flung the towel away just as the music grew fiercer.

They danced the Tango. And in a most _enthusiastic_ way, nonetheless.

They both were class A' Tango dancers, and none of them were holding back at the moment.

Rude and Reno's jaw fell at the sight of this passionate dancing. 

The whole dance took but a few minutes, but every moment was intense, every moment had a meaning. They did it all, even the mouth-to-mouth rose. 

Vincent swirled her about, then brought her very close to him. Elena was, literally, swept off her feet by this extraordinary Tango dancer. She never saw this coming.

It is customary to compare dancing to water; flowing, gushing, exhilarating. Their dance was the effect of a hurricane, a tzunami. 

Their faces so close, she noticed how his eyes sparkled. It seemed he even wasn't aware of his doing, like he had to dance the Tango and the world be damned if he didn't. 

They were so close she could feel his breath, feel his warmth, as the music went on, she got caught in it as well.

They danced like it was the last day in the world to dance in.

What emotion Vincent lacked regularly, he compensated in this dance.

What Elena lacked in skill, she compensated with passion.

The Tango ended with a strong note, and Vincent actually tipped her over, while supporting her back..

So they stayed a moment, Elena exasperated, Vincent slowly realizing what had just accrued. 

Embarrassment spread across his face, a slight blush colored his cheeks. He suddenly dropped Elena on the floor and, infuriated, yelled,

"CIIIIIDDDD!!!!" -who was already racing full speed out of the door. Vincent started to run, stopped, helped Elena up, and then started to chase Cid in order to beat him senseless.

Elena stood where she was, exasperated and a bit wobbly.

"That was... Unexpected..." She managed to breath towards Shera, who all this time watched with a _big_ smile.

"Vincent can withstand torture, he can withstand mockery, he can withstand the greatest amounts of pain, but the only thing he can't withstand nor resist is to dance the Tango." She helped the shocked Elena to a chair, then added, "He hates it when we do that to him." 

"Why do you do it to him, then?" 

"It's actually for his best, really. It frees him... You saw how different he is when he dances, he's happy. And besides, it sure is a lot of fun to watch, he's one heckava dancer."

"Indeed he is." Agreed Elena, still short on air, having first hand experience.

"Would you like a glass of water?" Shera offered.

"I'll be most thankful." And Elena mentally added, 'and I'll be most thankful if my heart'll stop pounding'. And she knew it wasn't pounding just because of the energetic dancing.

Shera brought her a tall glass of water.

"Where're Reno and Rude?" Elena asked, thanking Shera and sipping from the cool drink.

"They went to see Vincent beat up Cid."

"He actually beats him?" 

"Nah, he just frightens him a bit and sometimes makes him grovel. They only rarely revert to physical violence- Those kids..." Shera sat down beside Elena. 

"How did you find out about this dancing thing?"

"The first time this happened, all Avalanche was here, poor Vince, Cid had just bought that disk and played it at a party we had here. It took me about an hour to catch my breath and to stop my head from spinning."

Elena smiled,

"Why is Vincent poor, then?"

Shera laughed as she remembered that party,

"A) He was _very_ embarrassed, he apologized about a hundred times afterwards. B)  I'm a shaddy Tango dancer compared to you two; you really make a good pair.

And lastly, it took Vince and Cid a week to talk to each other again; Cid got mad at him for some reason..."

Elena was sure she said that cynically, she could not imagine that Shera **genuinely** did not understand Cid's anger.

"If Vincent hates that disk so much, why doesn't he do something?"

"Oh that's easy," Shera said, getting up. "We hide it in one of my cabinets, Vincent'll never _dream_ of looking in my stuff, even though he knows it's there."

Elena shoock her head, Vince' seemed to be a decent fellow. 

Evening fell, it was time they went home. Vincent hasn't returned to the house all afternoon. 

Just as Elena was about to go into Rude's car, Vincent came from behind the house. 

Even dusk couldn't hide the embarrassment on his face. 

He approached her hesitantly, as if fearing that she'll slap him across the face or try to kill him... Or worse.

She only greeted him with a smile.

"I... I just wanted to apologize-" he started. Elena was about to cut in, but he rised one hand, "Please, let me finish," He pleaded, "I did not mean to impose myself or anything, and I'm sorry if I have offended you in any way whatsoever, I truly am, I-" She placed one delicate hand on his mouth to silence him, and whispered into his ear,

"You're sweet." She then kissed his cheek and got in the car. Without another word, they drove away.

A full minute Vincent stood in the drive way, his expression that of complete shock. After that he gingerly touched his cheek, and spent another full minute just staring at his hand as if he never saw the thing before in his life. Another full moment he just stared at where Rude's car had just disappeared to.

Without a warning, he felt a great surge of joy. 

For years he believed that the world had some personal grudge against him, throwing one dreadful thing at him after another. But for now, the world didn't seem to be all that bad.

He rised on knee and one fist and exclaimed to the world,

"Yesssss!"

"I never thought I'd live to see the day you'd say something like that, Vince." Came Cid's voice from the doorway. He watched the whole time. At first Vincent was angry, but he just felt to happy to get angry at the moment. 

"Are you coming in? It's freezing out here!" Cid suggested.

Vincent's face suddenly grew thoughtful.

"Why did she do that, do you think?"

Cid rised his brows,

"What do you think, you moron; she likes you!"

Vincent smiled warmly,

"That's what I was hoping you'll say."


	3. 3: Not Sleeping - Slapping

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**_Blind love, chapter 3: 'Not Sleeping- Slapping.'_**

That night Vincent couldn't sleep. He knew that Cid would laugh at him if he was there;

"**You** can't sleep. Ya. Right.', 'If**you** can't sleep, no one can.' And 'You're damn sleepy, man. You like to over sleep generations!"

Vincent's head was cluttered with thoughts, some disturbing some... Less. 

He decided to get himself a relaxing drink.

Surprisingly enough, Shera was in the kitchen as well.

"Good morning, Vince. Couldn't sleep again?" her smirk showed she too was thinking about Cid's 'clever' remarks.

Vincent nodded.

Shera tilted her head to one side,

"You want me to make you a warm cup of cocoa?" 

Again he nodded, 

"Say," Started Vincent, sitting down by the table, "What do you think Elena... thinks about me?"

Shera smiled and served him his cocoa.

"I'm sure she likes you. Don't worry. She told us that she had a very nice time with you on your date and that she'll be very happy to go on another date with you."

"She did? She said that to you? About me?" Vincent asked excitedly, looking at Shera hopefully, like a child asking if Santa really existed.

His tone had such childish hope and his eyes begged her to say 'she did'. Shera laughed.

"She did, Vincent, she did. Don't worry so much, it'll make you old early- and before you start with 'I'm already old' act of yours- stop; I'm too tired to stand it right now." She said. She then finished her drink and went back to bed, mumbling a faint good night and patting Vincent on the back on the way out.

He always felt uncomfortable with physical contact when he didn't have a shirt on. 

Suddenly wearing a most sly expression, he examined the exhausted Shera as she waddled to her room. She seemed tired enough, he decided and popped the question,

"Umm ,Shera, are you in love with Cid?"

Too tired to think of anything but her bed, she nodded sleepily and kept on waddling.

She entered her room and closed the door.

Vincent knew she wouldn't remember the question in the morning.

At least he hoped she wouldn't.

She didn't.

Next day, right about teatime, Cid slapped Vincent on the back, which surprised the later so much he almost dropped his disassembled gun.

"You got a phone call." Said Cid with a wink, "She probably wants to ask you on another date." He added in a whisper.

"Women don't ask men on dates..." Vincent disagreed, shaking his head as if it was common knowledge.

Cid exchanged glances with Shera as Vincent took the receiver.

"Hello?... Elena!... Hi.... I-... Umm... Yes- yes... Sunday?... I-... Yes, I like fairs... Okey... Yes... I'll pick you up at fou-?... five, okey... see you then, then- I mean-... Yes... I _am_ silly."

Cid and Shera were covering their mouths not to burst into laughter by now. Vincent frowned while listening to the phone and gave them a hard look. He then deliberately turned his back.

"... No, I assure you that I don't mind sun light..."

Cid and Shera's burst out in a small laugh but restrained themselves before they could be heard.

"... Okey, me too, good bye."

No sooner had Vincent placed the receiver, Shera and Cid burst with wild laughter, leaning on each other for support.

Vincent only retorted with a displeased look.

"I don't understand anything now." He miserably said.

"Vincent, Vincent..." Said Shera compassionately, like one talks to a slow child, "Things have changed a bit since... You last dated."

"We're going to the One-Year-Post-Meteor Fair this Sunday." Vincent volunteered.

"Good. As long as you bounce from shadow to shadow I'm sure you'll manage fine- But biting her neck on broad day light is out of the question-"

*Wack!*

Cid rubbed the back of his head, and murmured under his breath.

*Wack!*

That evening after supper, they were all watching television. Well, not all of them- Cid and Shera were watching- They had to cram together on the loveseat because Vincent insisted he wanted to nap on the triple sofa for some reason. 

In short, Cid and Shera were watching television, while Vincent was blissfully (or at least seemingly blissfully) napping.

"What a %^$% stupid show!" Exclaimed Cid, "I can tell you how it ends right now! She bumps into him, he falls in love with the blond, and those other two end up together!-" He stopped short when he noticed Shera's eyes were on the verge of tears,

"What?" He asked, beginning to edge away. He could never stand before Shera if she was crying, it made him want to... Calm her. 

"You ruined the show! I didn't know how it ended!" She almost screamed, and started to cry,

Cid didn't know what to do,

"Umm... It's a stupid show anyway!" That didn't help. He looked at Vincent for help but the later only scratched the end of his nose.

'That guy could sleep even if the whole village would be burnt down- and I have Nibelheim for proof.'

He returned his attention to Shera, who was about to burst in a renewed crying fit and run to her room.Cid grabbed her arm,

"Yo, Shera! Why are you acting like a crazed lunatic? It's not my fault that you couldn't guess the ending of the %^#@^#& show! Are you having PMS or something?"

Vincent opened one eye in alarm.

Shera, enraged, turned to Cid.

Cid, followed closely by Vincent, scrambled out of the house with various objects flying after them with malice intent.

A stray book hit Cid in the head and another kamikaze vase hit Vincent in the back. They both fell on the ground, face first.

"My question is," opened Vincent, rising himself on one elbow and looking at Cid, "Is how does she manage to throw the vase, book, shelf, and assorted dishes at the same time?"

"Beats me, maybe *The Thing* gives her superhuman strength or something." Cid got up, so did Vincent.

"Superhuman, maybe- But does it give her more hands?" They straightened and dusted their clothes.

Cid shrugged, "Well, shall we head to The Drunkard?"

Vincent nodded.

As they walked rather hastily to the car, Vincent asked,

"Another question- Why did she throw things on _me_ as well? All I was doing was napping!"

Cid opened the garage doors,

"Because you were there, and an easy, inanimate target." 

"Next time, I'll start running the moment your big, nicotine addicted mouth starts yammering."

*wack!*

"Are you saying you're not addicted to nicotine??" Vincent protested, rubbing his head,

"I'm as addicted to nicotine as you are to sleeping short naps." They both sat in the car and Cid started the engine. He backed away from the driveway.

As they drove away, Vincent said in a petty tone,

"Well, no need to get all mean about it."


	4. 4: What *Do* You Do With a Dunken Sailor...

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**_Blind Love, Chapter 4: "What *Do* You Do With A Drunken Sailor?"_**

'Closed due to repairs.' 

Cid read the sigh on the door to their favorite pub. 

"It wasn't my fault!" Protested Cid in return to Vincent's harsh glare, "I'm sure it doesn't take a whole week to fix a $#%# window!"

They started back to the car,

"A window, and two chairs, and that table you threw out the window-"

"Oh, shut up you- you... Not dancing person!"

"I don't like loud music."

Again, they hopped in the car and drove away.

"It's a pub, what is there more in it then loud music? And it's not _that_ loud..."

Vincent ran his claw through his jet black hair,

"I have an idea, Cid, take the loudness of the music as you hear it, and doubled it by a bit more then two times. That's how loud I hear it."

"Auch." 

"Quite." 

"Then why do you go with me if it's so disturbing?"

"I can manage. And besides-" he turned to Cid with a smile, "It's too much fun to see you raving drunk to miss."

Cid can't hold his drink very well.

Definitely.

Cid parked near a Kareoke bar.

Vincent asked whether he was insane or just trying to kill him.

Cid complained that Vincent's just a big pansy.

Vincent protested loudly, as Cid dragged him in, that he has _really_ sensitive hearing and hearing Kareoke might kill him or tear his eardrums.

"_My oH MYYY!- DeliLa!!! My oH MYYYYYYY!- DelilAAAA_!"

Vincent moaned and banged his head on the counter.

"Stop ya'r whinin'" Cid blurted out as he downed his tenth beer.

"I hate being the designated driver when we go to places like this- I could use a drink right now..."

"Ya'r just complainin' 'bout thingies now..." Cid emptied another glass.

"-_OOOoooOOOOOo- DelilAAAA_!-"

"I like it when ya'r drunk," Cid said, poring himself another drink.

"How come?" 

"Ya start talkin' and blabberin' 'bout 'nythin' that somone asksksks ya"

Vincent looked distressed with the news,

"I do? What did I say?"

"A lot o' things... I don' remember now right..."

"Just give an example."

"Ummm... like, ya told me that your first girlfriend was a girl named Lili..." Cid was deep in the eleventh beer.

"Anything else?"

"Ya told me ya were abused as a kid..."

"..._DeLLLIIILAaaaaa_!!!"

Vincent slightly blushed,

"I actually told you that?"

"Yup, 'twas 'bout in the fifteenthhhh glass of 'martini night'..."

"I remember the hangover of that..." Vincent shuddered with the memory. Then he added passionately, "If that person's going to sing **one** more note- I'm going to shoot him straight through the head!"

Cid leaned closer to Vincent in order to ask him quietly, but almost shouted the words,

"Ya got yar gun with ya? here?"

Vincent shushed him, and looked around in case someone noticed, no one did.

"I always carry it. I never leave the house without it."

"_DE-LI-LLAAAAAAA_!!!"

Vincent took in one draught his orange juice to calm his nerves, he then banged his head on the counter again and tried to hide under his arms.

Someone tapped his arm, he peaked who it was.

"Oh, hello." He said,

"Hiya, hunk," said that girl from the Golden Saucer bar.

Vincent gulped, he thought he got rid of her the last time.

"Sorry I ran on ya last time- What's a guy like you doing in a place like this?"

Vincent loosened his collar, all the cloth the covered her body _put together_ could hardly match the amount of cloth of Vincent's glove.

"_What do ya do with a drunkn' sail-oOOoOoor_?" sang an unknown, yet familiar sounding voice.

"I...I... I-... -'M with him..." he pointed at Cid behind him.

"With who?" She asked. Vincent was secretly happy that he wasn't wearing a tie this time. 

"With him-" Or the person known as Sydney Highwind that was supposed to be sitting there. "Where the-"

Vincent spotted Cid.

He was on stage.

With nothing but his red striped Boxers.

He was singing.

Horribly.

"-_Early inthe morrrrrrrrrrrr-niN'_?!!?!?!"

"Him" Vincent pointed with a sly smile.

That got rid of her rather quickly.

'What a Kodak moment...' Vincent mussed dreamily, wishing he had his camera with him so he could hold it against Cid for as long as they both shall live. 

"_What doya dooooo witha drunkn' SAAAil-or? _

_WhAaaaaaAAAt doya DooOOooo witha drunkn' sai-looooor?_

_Earrrrrly IN the morrrrr-nin'_??!!?!?!"

Cid could dance quite well when drunk out of his senses.

'NOT.' Vincent added.

Vincent let Cid embarrass himself a bit longer before he decided to take him home. Something about half an hour longer.

At long last, Vincent couldn't take the singing anymore and dragged Cid outside the bar, the later still singing at the top of his lungs.

"_WHHHHAAAAT DOOOO YAAA_ _D_-_Urk_!"

Vincent looked away. Good thing he got Cid out of there when he did.

*urk!!*

Vincent nodded his head in dismay,

" '_What *do* you do with a drunken, old pilot, really late at nai-ait_.' " he hummed,

"technically, I'm younger then ya are- so shut yar yap."

Cid hissed before returning to his occupation.

Vincent waited patiently.

This really reminded him of his Turks days. He used to love getting sloshed and puking the night away afterwards.

He used to come to bars with the other Turks and they would usually end up beating each other. At least until he became Captain, then he had to be all respectable and 'designated driver' all the time.

If all the Turks get together one day, they could write a great book on how to hide the hangover from bosses, how to sneak away from the headquarters and sneaking back in, all while in a drunken stupor.

You can't imagine how hard it is to aim a marksmen's rifle at someone's head when your own is threatening to go on strike.

Vincent's ears buzzed.

Some crickets creaked by.

A tranquil silence.

"Cid I- Cid? What the-"

"_EarLLY in The MOR-Nin'_!!"

"Ackk!"

Vincent ran in again and fetched Cid before he'll hurt himself (or others will hurt him, with _his_ singing.).

The door opened ajar.

A ruby red eye peeked cautiously in.

"I can't believe Shera tried to lock us out..." Vincent whispered, "The coast's clear, Cid."

Silence.

"Cid? -Oh..."

The dark silhouette disappeared from the crack in the door only to reappear a moment later. Vincent pushed the door open with his foot, supporting the stuporfied Cid.

"Ugh.... I don't feel so hot..." Cid murmured. 

Vincent half helped, half dragged Cid across the living room,

"You're not supposed too- After drinking over twenty beers."

"nineteen point five!" Cid protested weakly.

"Whatever... Geesh Cid, you could at least _try_ and help me help you to your room."

Cid tried to remember how do you use 'Legs'. He considered them a grand novelty right now. The result almost tripped Vincent.

"Just... Just let me do the walking, you drunken...."

"Sailor?" Asked Cid hopefully, his mind deciding to go for a long walk away from his head.

"Nooo...." Vincent cautiously replied, opening Cid's door with his foot as well.

After carefully placing the drunken pilot in his bed, Vincent went to his room, slipped into his pajama pants and conked out on his bed.

He had nightmares of frightening women with minimal clothing.


	5. 5: Two Brave Men and One 90%

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**_Blind love, Chapter 5: 'Two Brave Men and One 90%'_**

Shera blushed,

"I'm sorry... I locked you guys out..."

Vincent shrugged, smiling.

"It doesn't matter, we got in anyway."

"How exactly did you do that?"

Vincent's answer was simply a wry smile. 

"Say no more..." She said.

Vincent continued to dry his wet hair with a towel.

"When is Cid planning to wake up?" Asked Shera, fixing an old TV they found in the attic.

Again Vincent shrugged,

"Last time he got _this_ drunk, he woke up at midnight the day after. -Oh," Vincent remembered, "Remind me to tell you something that Cid did last night later, okey?"

Shera nodded, not really noticing the evil hint in Vincent's voice.

He scratched his cheek thoughtfully when Shera mentioned,

"You look strange..."

Vincent gave her a surprised, slightly insulted look,

"No, I don't mean, _generally_ strange, I mean just today..." 

"In what way?" Vincent inquired.

"I don't know... You look older, somehow."

Vincent shrugged.

Cid's door opened, and a dirty, unkept, bloodshot eyed creature groaned and dragged its legs out to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Cid" Shera greeted him. Cid only growled.

"Morning, Cid." Said Vincent.

Cid growled louder.

Shera placed a cup before Cid, or rather, before Cid's hangover. Without thought, Cid took the cup and downed it in one drought.

Shera and Vincent then proceeded to take cover, and just in time, too. A few seconds later, and Cid stumbled, his face red, to the bathroom.

He got out a few moments later and exclaimed,

"Good morning!"

"I told you that adding a touch of chili in the black coffee will do wonders to his hangover." Said Vincent as he got up from behind the couch.

"So, Vince, going to the One-Year-Post-Meteor fair today?" asked Cid, as if nothing had happened.

Vincent nodded, scratching his cheek.

Cid examined Vincent's face.

"You look weird... " he mentioned.

"Will you cut it out?" Vincent asked, he got up and decided to go check what was so weird about his face.

Cid and Shera quickly went to the bathroom as they heard Vincent gasp in surprise.

"Of all days to become human!" he exclaimed.

Suddenly they too saw what it was- Vincent had facial hair.

"Holy %^$@!" Cid said, with his usual helpfulness.

Shera giggled, 

"It suits you, Vincent. I don't think I ever saw you with a beard..."

"I can't grow a beard!" Vincent complained, "Ever since I first had facial hair I always kept my face neatly shaved." There was even a hint of pride in his voice.

"Why not just keep it like this? Chicks dig the unshaved look."

Shera did a little 'humph', and Vincent couldn't help but chuckle.

"Who asked you!" Cid stuck his tongue out.

Vincent smiled, "Anyway-" He started to dig and take out things out of an tattered old bag.

Cid yelped as Vincent finally produced a **large**, scary looking razor.

"Here it is, thought I lost the little thing-"

"You call that little?! It's a %^#% Masamune!!"

Vincent examined the razor,

"Well- It may be a little rusted, but I'm sure I can still use it-" with that, he closed the distance between the razor and his face.

"_Stop_!" Yelled Cid,

Vincent gave him an inquiring look.

Cid carefully disarmed Vincent of the lethal razor.

"Let me give you something more... Modern." 

Vincent scowled,

"I'm not _that_ ancient..."

"Of course ya aren't..." Cid smiled and produced a small, modern shaving razor from one of the bathroom's cabinets. Shera went back to her occupations.

"What is that?" Vincent asked, looking at the weird instrument.

"This, my prehistoric friend-" Cid explained "is a 'razor'- you use it so you won't kill yourself while shaving."

Vincent snatched the thing from Cid's hand,

"I'm sure I could have figure it out by myself..." he brought the knife by his cheek, "What are you smirking at?"

"You're holding it upside down AND you've forgotten the shaving cream."

Vincent slightly blushed.

"Oh... indeed... I seem to have forgotten... I think it'll take me sometime to get used to all this again..." he mumbled.

Cid rolled his eyes, "Got any After Shave?"

"Hmmm..." Vincent fumbled in his bag again then tossed Cid a small bottle. "This is what I've got."

"$%#@^&*!" Cid exclaimed as he read the label, "90% Alcohol? That's... That's brave, man..." Vincent shrugged 

"That's what I always used."

Cid placed the bottle on the side of the sink and left Vincent to his shaving, mumbling something under his breath about people with masochistic tendencies. 

After a few minutes Cid and Shera turned their heads in the bathroom's direction when they heard another gasp, louder then before, accompanied with a hiss.

Vincent stepped out of the bathroom, his teeth grit tightly, his eyes opened wide with pain. He was neatly shaved.

"You can scream if you wanna," Suggested Cid with a wry grin.

Vincent screamed in pain, it sounded like he have been struck with the mightiest of weapons. Then brought his hands to his cheeks, as if to check if they were still there.

"Ow... Ow... Ow... OW... Ow..." he waddled painfully to the kitchen table. "Owowowowow.... I forgot how painful this is... I think it burned through my cheeks..."

Shera swooned slightly when he passed by, intoxicated by the smell,

'Wow, that smells good...' she smiled with a dreamy look. 

Vincent smiled a little, smug smile, forgetting the pain. That's why he used it, he remembered.

"Hey ,Cid, where are you going?"

"To the bathroom, I feel like a quick shave myself... Can I use your after shave?"


	6. 6: Fair Ladies and Vampires

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**_Blind Love, Chapter 6: 'Fair Ladies and Vampires'_**

"Hello? Vincent talking... Is Elena there?... Oh.. Okey... I'll be there to pick her up in a while... Yes, thank you."

He hung up.

After the usual fuss from Cid and Shera, Vincent drove in his car to pick up Elena. 

He climbed the stairs all the way to the sixth floor, for he decided he wasn't getting enough exercise. He arrived panting, which he interpreted as slacking on his side. 

After a short moment to catch his breath, he pressed the door bell.

"~_Who is it_?" Asked the voice of Elena.

"Vincent." he replied. 

"Do come in! I'll be with you in a sec'."

He opened the door and went in.

"Take your ti- Ugh!"

"Are you okey?" Asked Elena. Upon hearing no response, she came to check. She gave a frightened yelp.

Reno and Rude peeked from their rooms to check what happened.

Elena chuckled,

"You really _are_ very Vampire like."

Vincent, hanging upside down from a rope around his legs, crossed his arms across his chest and grumbled angrily. His shirt fell down a bit to reveal his stark pale stomach.

Elena turned to Reno,

"I thought you told me you disarmed the security system."

"I thought I did." Answered Reno with a grin.

Rude and Reno returned to their rooms, not even considering helping Vincent down.

Elena stayed there and studied the hanging Vampire.

"Hang on there a moment, nice of you to hang around..." She laughed again. "You really do look like a vampire..." 

"It's not my fault." He shrugged upside down. "Could you please... Help me down?"

"Nope." She grinned, "If you were such a great Turk, I'm sure you could get down, can't you?" she tickled his stomach. He winced, then pulled his shirt down (Or up, it depends on your point of view) and tucked it in his pants.

Again he grumbled, giving Elena a hard look. He bent up and tried to reach the rope. First try he fell back down before he could reach. Second try he was able to grab the rope in his healthy hand and then he cut it with his sharp claw.

He fell with an undignified thud and grunt. 

Elena held back her chuckling and helped him up.

He brushed himself off and Elena went to get ready to leave. Vincent stood quietly and waited.

Reno peeked out of his room, and after a moment, so did Rude. They nodded to each other and approached Vincent, grave expressions written on their faces.

"Listen, Vinny boy," Started Reno "We don't want Elena to get hurt, okey?"

Vincent rised his brows,

"Neither do I. What's your point?"

"Our point is that we don't want you to hurt her." Rude concluded.

Reno stepped close to Vincent and stood on his tip-toes to somewhat heighten himself to Vincent's height.

"Just keep in mind that if you hurt her even this much," he held his index finger close to him thumb, "We'll make sure we'll have for dinner some Kentucky Fried Vincent!"

Vincent nonchalantly wiped Reno spit from his face and replayed with a cold expression,

"Believe me, Turks, I have no intention of hurting her. Furthermor-" Here he stopped for Elena was ready and stepped out of her room.

She looked beautiful.

Reno and Rude left their threat in the air and retired back to their rooms, sending Vincent mean looks on the way.

At the fair:

As if on a special order, the skies were blue. And unlike previous days, this Sunday was warm. The air was filled with the laughter of children, happy people talking and eager merchants shouting their commerce.

Colorful flags and banners were hung and everyone was festively dressed. Except for one couple: the woman was dressed in a pure white suit, and the man was dressed in a black, long sleeved shirt and pants. Vincent and Elena walked together, hand in hand, through the various booths and stalls of the grand fair.

Elena stopped by one of the stalls and picked up a little trinket, she happily showed it to Vincent, who frowned with a small smile.

She pressed on a button on the little figure and a small voice box inside yelled "Sephiroth!" Elena laughed and placed the Cloud action figure back on the stall.

They proceeded down the ails of attractive stalls when Elena pointed at a shooting gallery, or more precisely, at a big, fluffy, rather depressed looking teddy bear sitting with the prizes.

Vincent grinned warmly and approached the pedler. He bought one round of pellets in order to hit all 10 balloons. 

"Okey, laddie, now what you have to do is rise the rifle like this..." The pedler showed Vincent how to hold the rifle. Vincent said nothing and cooperated. "Now... close one eye... Right... And aim at a balloon- Come on- Nothing to fright over... Just-"

Vincent shot nine consecutive shots with amazing rapidity. The gun hardly moving in his trained grip. 

The pebler was silent a long moment when Vincent was through. Looking at all the blown balloons, he said weakly.

"Ten balloons in nine shots... I'm... I never thought I was such a good teacher."

Vincent smiled contentedly and handed him back the gun, one bullet still in the barrel.

"Do I need to give you change for the last bullet...?" The pebler asked weakly, still shocked.

Vincent shook his head.

Elena jumped and grabbed that fluffy teddy bear. Hugging it tightly, she asked Vincent,

"Ain't he ADORABLE??"

"I guess..." Vincent shrugged. Elena pretended to pout,

"You have no idea in cuteness!"

He turned his head from her,

"I... I think you're cute..." He managed to say, blushing, as if to say that he knew cute when he saw it.

Elena's smile widened. She took his hand with one arm and held tight to the teddy in the other one. They walked on. 

"You know," She said after a while of silence between them, "I think this teddy bear is a lot like you."

Vincent was baffled,

"Are you suggesting that I'm furry, fat, have a pink nose and cotton filling?"

"No, silly-" She nudged his shoulder with her's, "I mean, he's sooo cute, and yet, look at his eyes; they look so sad and despelled with the world, like he's seen a lot of things in his life he didn't want, or mean to see..."

"Elena, that's a stuffed animal." He told her in a 'fact-of-matter' tone.

She sighed,

"Forget I ever mentioned the philosophy of teddy bears, okey?"

"I'll be more then glad to..." He mumbled, finding the comparison somewhat unsettling.

They both noticed a large gathering, and approached to see what was the happening.

They saw a large mass covered with a gray cloth. A respectable looking person stood beside the mass.

"Gather people! Gather!" he exclaimed "I, the mayor of Neo-Midgar, who hosts this wonderful festival of magic and wonders, am honored to present a gift to the heroes of this world. The heroes that without them we surely weren't standing here today. Behold!"

The Vail was taken down dramatically. 

A large monument of AVALANCHE was revealed.

Cloud, with his famous pissed expression stood in the middle, one hand on the handle of his sword. A stance all of avalanche learned to know very well. Beside him stood Tifa, wearing her minimal tank top. 

Red XIII was there as well, though the sculptors had a challenge carving the flame in his tail in stone.

Barret, with his gun arm rised by his head.

Cait Sith, shouting in his megaphone to the happy Mog.

Yuffie was sculptured smiling too innocently, to Vincent's taste;

'they should of made her with one hand inside someone's pocket,' he mussed to himself.

Cid was there as well, carved sharply, his trusty lance by his side, and biting his eternal Cigg'.

In front of them all kneeled Beautiful Aeris, her face to the heavens, her hands clasped together in prayer. Holy lay by her feet.

He himself was there too, though not in great detail. His face was concealed by the cowl and bandanna so only a pair of eyes glared menacingly. His healthy hand rised, holding 'Quick Silver' while his claw hung by his side.

He looked frightening even to himself.

"They didn't do you justice." Elena mentioned, noticing Vincent's wondering. Vincent glanced at her, "They forgot the pink nose," She giggled, pressing on his nose with her finger. 

"Do I really look this... Aloof?" he asked after wriggling his nose a bit.

Elena examined the statue with her head tilted just so.

"Well... There is _some_ resemblance... You _were_ a real spook back then." His face saddened a bit. 

"But now you look totally different!" Elena was quick to add,"You look much more lively and Hu-..." she swallowed the last word, not wanting to finish her sentence.

Vincent smiled a sad smile,

"Human?"

Elena nodded,

"But let's keep on walking, I don't want the past to spoil everything."

They started off again in a random direction. This time Vincent stopped after a few steps.

"Wasn't that Reeve?"

He looked back to the monument. Indeed, Reeve was the mayor of Midgar. He wasn't in touch with him too long, he didn't recognize him.

Vincent, accompanied with Elena, went to say hello.

"Hi, Cait!" Vincent called from the base of the impressive statue.

Reeve looked down at him, it took him a whole minute to recognize Vincent without the cape and stuff.

The red eyes gave him away.

"Vincent?! That really you?" He climbed down and held out his hand, Vincent instinctively rised his left hand (Reeve was left handed), but stopped himself before shaking Reeve's hand. Reeve apologized and held out the other arm. Vincent now could greet Reeve without accidentally cutting his wrist.

"I didn't- Couldn't recognize you! You look so..."

"Normal?" Suggested Vincent.

"Well, as a matter of fact, yes! You look better dressed in casual clothing."

"Meet Elena." 

"Hi!" Elena said, also reaching out her hand, "I wouldn't of suspected you were with Avalanche, you know? It never occurred to me until someone actually told me."

Reeve smiled proudly, proud of being such a skilled double agent.

A man came to Reeve and whispered something in his ear.

"Oh.. I'll be right there..." Reeve then turned to Vincent and Elena, "I gotta run, but It's been a pleasure seeing you both again- keep in touch!" He left.

Vincent gave the statue one last glance and they started walking again, hand by hand and a teddy bear.

Elena leaned closer to Vincent at one point,

"I think that somone's following us..." She whispered.

Vincent nodded gravely,

"I have noticed them... I don't want trouble, let's try and give them the slip."

Elena pretended to laugh as if he had told her a funny joke. They changed their route a couple of times, just to be sure that the three men were indeed following them. After confirmation, they walked close the walls of the shops, mingling in the crowd. A few men passes them by, blocking the view. When they cleared, the couple was gone.

"I hope they don't come looking." Said Vincent once they were deep enough in the side ally. 

They did.

And they were blocking the only exit from the ally.

Three big, angry looking thugs.

Vincent turned to them, pushing Elena behind him without thinking.

She tightened her grip around her stuffed toy.

"What do you want?" He asked in a blood chilling voice.

"That creature behind you isn't worth protecting!" Shouted on of the men,

"She's a $%&*I@ Turk!" Shouted another,

"She killed our parents!" Shouted the smallest one. 

Though he was the smallest, he was Vincent's height.

Vincent glanced at Elena behind him. She smiled sheepishly.

Not that it bothered him, he had killed many people in his time, too.

"We want her dead!" the largest said, "So you can either move out of the way and save yourself some unpleasantness or..." All three stepped one step forward, fists prepared.

"Are you ready?" Vincent whispered to Elena. She knew what he meant, she nodded.

Vincent suddenly ran towards them. One step away from them, as they thought he would crash into them, he leapt and landed nimbly behind them. They turned to him, arms rised to strike, then they all fell.

Elena got up from her low-bow kick, when Vincent punched one of them in the head with his claw. Not killing him as rendering him unconscious. Perhaps dislocating his jaw.

The other two got up, pissed then before.

One turned to attack Elena and the other to attack Vincent.

"Get away from me!" Elena demanded and did a spin kick, for her hands were busy hugging the bear.

The thug span around himself and fell unconscious. She hit him a little harder then she wanted.

As forthe thug the went at Vincent, he was out cold as well.

Vincent had easily kicked him under the chin, which sent him sprawling on top of his brothers.

"Are you okey?" They both asked together.

After checking that neither was wounded they looked down at the three men.

"I feel sorry for them." Said Elena, "I really _did_ kill their parents, I think." 

Vincent knew their wasn't anything he could say to help, so he just stood beside her without saying anything.

"Come on," He said eventually, "Let's get going. I don't want the past right now." 

Elena nodded her consent and they went back to the fair, leaving three thugs in a pile behind them.

After a couple of hours, Vincent and Elena were about to head home, it was already late twilight.

"Hey, Vince?" Elena asked as they walked together, her head leaning on his shoulder.

"Yes?" 

"I have a question."

"?"

She stopped walking, and took both of his hands in hers.

"You want us to go steady?" She asked, blushing.

Vincent starred at her.

"You mea... You wan... Me.... You..." 

Elena giggled as she saw how his brain was trying to fathom the question, or rather, the concept.

"Do you, or don't you?" She asked,

He looked at his feet and nodded meekly. Then he looked up, expecting her reaction.

She smiled happily and threw her hands around his chest, closing her eyes.

He awkwardly hugged her back. And they stayed like that a long while.

"People actually still ask about 'going steady'?"

"You found the right person to ask..."

"Oh, right, sorry."


	7. 7: Little Fingers are very Useful, If yo...

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**_Blind love, chapter 7: Little Fingers Are Very Useful- If You Know How._**

Vincent returned home with four things: 

One, a little Cid action figure.

Two, a very shaken state of mind.

Three, severe muscle strain.

Four, a horrible prospect.

Elena wanted him to meet her parents.

Him.

Her parents.

She told him that since they were now officially Boyfriend (and here Vincent blushed) and Girlfriend, he should come to lunch sometime with her parents.

That sometime was just a couple of days from today.

Him+ Elena's parents= disaster.

'Can anybody spell C-A-T-A-S-T-R-O-P-H-E?' he cynically asked himself as he parked the car.

"K. A. T... Um... C. A. T. A. S.... Two S'?"

"Oh, shut up." Vincent mumbled angrily, crossing his arms rigedly across his chest.

"Just kidding..." Cid laughed.

"Don't."

"Ohhh... touchy... " Cid couldn't of miss that Vincent was in a lousy mood. So he decided to tease him some more,

_"~Vincent and Elena, sitting on a tree- K. I. S. S. I. N.- *thump!* _Ouch!"

"Cut it out!"

Shera giggled happily as she pressed the little button on the Cid action figure for the hundredth time,

"Dollar sign, percent, dollar sign, at!!!" The little thing yelled.

Cid rised his head from being flat on the table (by Vincent's kind thrashing) and contorted his face for the hundredth time,

"I don't $%$@ sound like that!"

Vincent lifted his head from his sulking,

"You don't?"

"I don't have such a squeaky voice!"

Vincent and Shera exchanged glances.

"I do NOT have such a squeaky voice!!" he proclaimed again, louder then before

Shera's only response was to press the little button again,

"Judo Chop!!!!!!" and it swung the plastic spear in a way that would intimidate any other plastic enemy.

"Stop that!" Cid groaned, but Shera was having too much fun. "Why did you buy that thing, again?" he asked Vincent miserably, trying not to listen to the squeaky toy.

"It even says here at the bottom that 'Cid Highwing says that smoking can be hazardous to your health'." Commented Shera.

Cid rised one fist in protest,

"It's Highwind, not Highwing! Who's the idiot that wrote this stuff?? And I'll wouldn't be caught alive saying stuff like that!"

"It says here that it was made by Scarlet Inc. ..."

"Scarlet???" Both guys straightened together with fear, "That crazy &*%^ still alive??"

Shera nodded,

"It seems so..."

Both men shuddered. 

"That woman's a psycho!"

Vincent nodded with agreement,

"She is indeed the fear of every man ever to work at Shinra..."

"I don't think she ever picked on Palmer..." Cid mussed.

"Well... I guess that's only understandable..." 

"I remember she only chased the handsome men at Shinra." Shera added, getting up and making some tea. Not before hiding the action figure from Cid.

"I guess you didn't have any problems from her, then." Vincent teased.

"Ha ha." Then Cid realized something. "She used to chase _you_??"

Vincent stretched his mouth to a tin line.

"That's not what I meant." Cid shook his head," What I mean- How old is she? If she used to chase _you_..."

Not that rephrasing it _that_ way made Vincent feel better.

"I would think she was about my age... Perhaps a bit older... Nowadays she's about 60."

Cid leaned back in his chair,

"Wow... I would never of suspected... sixty! She looks damn good for her age."

Vincent titled his head in fake smugness,

"_Some_ people look better then others at old age." He eyed Cid meaningfully.

"Shut yer yap before I'll smack your wrinkled face across the living room."

Shera rolled her eyes, then after a moment;

"Oh!" She shouted, bringing a hand to her back, both kids stopped bickering and turned to her, "My back!" She leaned with one hand on the counter, the other supporting her back.

Cid and Vincent rushed to her side.

"Shera! Are you okey??" Cid asked, very much alarmed. 

Vincent looked as alarmed as Cid as he asked,

"Maybe we should get her to bed?"

"Good idea!" 

All Shera did was to look in pain.

Vincent and Cid exchanged glances.

"I'll carry her." Vincent decided.

Cid grabbed his arm before he procedded,

"You look tired- I'll do it." 

Shera gasped in pain, so Cid quickly brought one arm around her shoulders and another under her knees and swept her off her feet. He groaned with the weight but was surprisingly smart enough not to comment anything. Not while she had such a plain attack route to his face, at least.

Vincent followed them eagerly.

As Cid gently lowered her into her bed (not before Vincent fluffed the pillows) she asked in a weak voice, placing one hand over her forehead dramatically,

"Could one of you bring me something to drink, please? I feel dizzy..."

Cid immediately ran to get something.

Vincent carefully tucked her in under the covers.

"Just rest- We'll take care of you..."

Cid returned with a glass of water, almost spilling it on Shera for he came in such a hurry.

She drank it and thanked Cid.

"Oh... But I can't rest! What about dinner?" She tried to get up and fell back to the pillow with a renewed strike of pain. Both men calmed her,

"Don't worry about us- Just rest..." Vincent said,

"Ya, we'll handle, you need to feel better."

"Can we bring you something?" Both looked all too eager to help.

Shera smiled a weak smile,

"I don't want to be a burden..."

"No trouble at all!" Cid waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, Vincent nodded his agreement.

"... Then could you please bring me my book from the living room? And perhaps another pillow?" 

Both men shook their heads enthusiastically and ran off.

The moment they were out of the room, Shera snuggled deeper under the covers and smiled contentedly,

'Who said those Drama lessons wouldn't pay off?'

She simply didn't want to cook and clean. Tonight, she wanted to rest.

They returned in a hurry, Vincent with the book, Cid with another pillow.

Vincent gave her the book, Cid fluffed the new pillow and, with Vincent's help, placed it gently behind Shera's 'aching' back.

She gave them a worried look,

"But what about dinner?"

Cid and Vincent exchanged determined looks and nodded in unison (as they were used to do from Avalanche days).

"We'll make it."

They returned an hour later- Vincent held the door open and Cid brought in a big tray with food;

A mostly burnt toast with unevenly spread peanut butter on it, a cup of tea, and two fried eggs, mostly burnt as well.

"Sunny side up- Just like you love 'em!" Cid pointed at the eggs.

She smiled at them,

"Thank you."

They smiled like two children.

Deep in her heart she feared the answer of 'why did it take them an entire hour?' and 'What does the kitchen look like now'- Or rather 'Will I recognize the kitchen?'. another thing that bothered her was the amount of coal she was about to eat. And she was told that eggs don't burn- yet those looked like gooey pieces hardened oil.

It took her a moment to understand that they were waiting for her to taste the food.

She bit the stone hard toastand the *crunch!!!!* after that was almost deafening.

Their eyes were full of anxious anticipation,

"Crunchy... Tasty..." She said, although had the taste and density of charcoal.

Cid smiled with great pride. 

Shera forced herself to swallow the stuff and she tried some of the eggs. 

It took her a long moment to cut through the egg- it was like rubber.

"Feh, this knife is dull." she said so they won't feel bad. It tasted something made of rubber as well.

"Yummy..." she smiled painfully, swallowing back the tears that threatened to flood her eyes.. This was Vincent's turn to smile proudly,

"Plaster free." He mentioned with pride.

She swallowed down that too and picked up the tea. She tried not to contort her face. 

She did, but only because it was drinkable.

"This is good!" She exclaimed, surprised. 

They didn't notice the other meaning and smiled proudly. Cid produced a little card from his pocket, Shera took it,

"We used your instructions..."

It was the same note she had written them when she went out that other day...

She gave each a big hug,

"Thank you."

They were so pathetic in house keeping, it was adorable. 

They both blushed slightly.

"Can we get you something else?" Vincent offered.

Shera knew that even if she was to ask for a fruit that grows only on the other side of the planet and was guarded by ferocious, human eating beasts- both would say 'okey- Just a minute' and hop happily to get it for her.

She didn't take advantage of that _too_ often, but sometimes she did.

"You don't think she was FAKING it, do you?" Cid suddenly stopped washing the house (at Shera'smeek request.)

Vincent stopped mopping and he and Cid exchanged a silent look,

"Naaaa...." they resumed the task.


	8. 8: Sweet as Revenge, Hurts as Hell

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**_Blind Love, chapter 8: Sweet as Revenge, Hurts as Hell._**

The first thing that Vincent thought when he woke up that morning was:

'NO!'

It was today.

He hesitantly got up, the morning chill biting at his body. He flinched as his feet touched the freezing floor.

The knowing that he had all day to worry didn't comfort him one bit. He felt a clog in his throat and he just knew it didn't have any intentions of going away all day.

Cid and Shera left for the day; Cid had to urgently fly to get some spare parts for his plane, and that usually took the better part of the day. Shera was at her mother's, the later had fallen ill.

Not bothering to wear a shirt or change from his pajama pants, Vincent waddled to the living room and sat in front of the TV. He didn't turn it on.

Cid was a very vocal person, unlike Vincent. If Cid was distressed or anxious about something, he made sure the world would know it; He would curse, shout, smoke, and whatnot.

Vincent, on the contrary, was a very distant, closed person by his nature. When he was troubled he would turn everything in, becoming even more silent and aloof then usual.

The blank Television set returned his stare with a stern grayness. Life continued as usual in the little Rocket Town, though the skys were always too empty to those who were used to the old Shinra's No. 26 rocket.

He just had to find something to do to distract his mind off the evening. Why was he so worked up? He mused as he returned to his room and threw a shirt on. This was a simple dinner. Nothing more. Just a quite dinner with Elena's parents. Just dinner. As he passed the bathroom his eyes met his own in the mirror. Blood red eyes so ugly to him. He scanned his image. 

In his eyes, he was horribly deformed and ugly. His messy hair. His sickly pale face. He looked away.

What on earth does she find in you?

Nothing, Vincent, nothing. Just to have some fun.

He couldn't stand his own reflection. The only place where he could hide his face from the accursed mirror was the toilet. He rejected the idea after a brief thought.

He would of smashed the mirror, but he knew that Cid wouldn't be all that thrilled if he would do that again.

Elena was such a pretty woman.

Sick of being sick with himself, he left the bathroom.

Taking all of his assorted guns and rifles, he placed them all on the floor, and sat on the floor by the heap. He checked each for any stray bullets in the barrels and then disassembled them all in one big pile, not separating each gun to his own parts. After he had but a great pile of black metal, he started cleaning _each and every_ part separately. Checking if it has been accidentally damaged or needed a replacement.

The whole process took over four hours. Through all that time Vincent didn't not get up or was distracted by anything. A sniper at work.

Now was the part where he had to assemble everything back. Glancing once at the clock, and seeing that there was still plenty of time ere he was due to torture and humiliation, he took all of the parts of all the guns and shuffled them a couple of times, making sure it would be at least a little challenge. He then took a deep breath, took time and started the assembly of over twenty different rifles and guns.

There was much noise and many cocking of guns. 

Quarter of an hour later Vincent had his arsenal completely assembled, checked, loaded and ready.

He sighed with annoyance. He had too much time on his hands. He returned all the tools of killing in the drawer with his underwear.

It was almost noon. Cid and Shera would be back soon.

He clasped his hands behind his back and started striding back and forth without purpose, brooding in the horror that's about to befell him this evening. All in all, he was having fun. 

Or not.

When it was almost an hour past noon, the door slammed open (much to Vincent's surprise) and Cid and Shera came in, arguing loudly.

"Woman!" Cid shouted, "I'm the man of the house! And what I say goes!!". 

He seemed very pissed. 

Vincent observed silently.

"WOMAN???!! Shera shrieked. She had come to loose most of her timidity and shyness in the weeks after Avalanche were finished with the world. (Something that perhaps had to do with a little 'pep talk' from Tifa one day they passed by.) "Stop calling me that!!" She waved her finger warningly in front of Cid's face, "I have a name, you know, SHERA. Can you say that??" 

Cid slammed the door after the two,

"Don't you talk to me like I was some retard! I am the best ^&(@#$% pilot in the ^&@% world!!!"

"What's that got to do with the fact that you want to keep that heap of junk???"

Vincent rised a timid finger,

"Uh, Shera, Cid, Maybe-"

They turned to him, murder in there eyes,

"SHUT UP, YOU!"

Vincent did a backflip and dodged behind the couch, knowing what was good for him.

"'THAT HEAP OF JUNK' is my prime possession!" Cid yelled, returning his attention to Shera, "I love the Tiny Bronco more than anything! I won't sell it! NEVER! And no stupid and slow technician is going to tell me otherwise!"

Shera twitched. And Vincent cringed behind his shelter, wondering in his ex-Turkish mind whether the sofa will be a sufficient defense.

"I'm not saying that you should sell it for good! Just agree to rent it to people who could use it!!! You hardly take it out of the garag-"

"NO!" Cid bellowed. Dropping his cig. He bent to pick it up, but just before he could do so, Shera stepped on it deliberately.

"You should cut down on your smoking, too."

Cid's eyes darted up. Vincent cautiously peeked over the sofa.

"WHY YOU-" Cid hissed. Shera watched him with narrow eyes. "YOU…. YOU…SPACE FLIGHT RUINER!!." 

The moment he said it, he regretted it. He knew that that incident was Shera's soft spot. But he didn't mean to use it…It just slipped out…

"Shera.. I.."

But it was too late. He had promised he wouldn't say things like that anymore.

"Don't.." She mumbled, her lower lip starting to tremble, "Just don't talk to me." 

With that ,she ran to her room and slammed the door behind her.

Vincent got up from behind the DBP (Defensive Bunch of Pillows).

Cid was standing with his arms crossed rigidly across his chest.

He eyed Cid.

"I don't care. No matter what you think I think. I don't care. Let her be in there for as long as she &*@#^& wants."

Vincent opened his mouth to say something, but Cid interrupted him.

"You stay out of it." he ordered.

Vincent then tried to knock gently on Shera's door. And wriggled the door knob. Locked.

"Shera.. It's me-" he said gently.

"I know it's you, Vincent. Just.. Please stay out of it." Her voice sounded like she was crying. Vincent's heart felt sorry for the two crazy lovers. Love was such a precious thing, Vincent knew, and wasting it on petty games of pride were the most horrible waste in the world.

But, narrowing his eyes wryly, a plan formulated in his dark mind. Not only that, but revenge is sweeter when is reaped in the right time, he heard someone once say.

He dug his claw in the door hinges of Shera's room. Splinters flew and the door made a tortured sound as he easily ripped it out of it's base. He heard Shera gasp in fright. Cid ran to him.

"Vince! What the ^*@ are you doing?? --HEY! PUT ME DOWN!" He cried out as Vincent nimbly grabbed the pilot's waist and rised him over his head. He turned around and hurled him into the room.

A loud crash was sounded and Shera yelped. All that with no expression on Vincent's face but a peaceful determination. He cupped his healthy hand by his mouth and sang out with a big smile,

"_SHE~RA! Cid **lo~ves** you!!!_" He placed the door awkwardly back, but something hit it from inside of the room which threw the door and Vincent a few feet back. Vincent crashed on his stomach, face first, and grunted as the door landed on top him.

After some struggling, he managed to get out from under it. He brushed himself and noticed the object that had hit the door so violently. Curious how such a fluffy looking object could cause such calamity, he bent over and picked up the pillow. 

Ramming inside the pillow cover, he produced 'unabridged Webster's dictionary' and frowned. He picked the door with one hand and started dragging it back towards it's place. 

"Okey! who threw it??" He demanded, rubbing his aching nose. 

Shera's room was relatively quite. Cid sat on one end of her bed while she sat at the other end. If they were only slightly more red, their heads would burst. Neither knew what to say to each other at the moment, but Vincent's answer was pretty clear to them. 

The kind reply came in the form of another pillow hitting Vincent flat on the face, making him, yet again, fly a few feet back, the door still in his grip. This time he crashed on his back, the pillow hiding his face. He was still a moment to let the pain subside a little and got up, producing their 'second addition, super thick version of unabridged Webster's dictionary' from the pillow's cover.

Mumbling to himself, he returned the door to the gap in the wall and went to the bathroom to stop his nosebleed.


	9. 9: Beauty and the Freak

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**_Blind Love, Chapter 9: Beauty and the Freak._**

He loosened his collar another time and willed his knees to stop their little trembling without successes. His hair seemed awkwardly ruffled for as he came to pick up Elena from her house, afashion sensitive bookcase decided to collapse on him. He managed to save the vase though. 

He loosened his collar again. Elena giggled, but said nothing. Knowing her parents, he had a good reason to worry.

They climbed to the balcony of her parent's house. She was dressed in a colorful, flowerful dress that her mother had sent her last Christmas and she felt obliged to wear. She added a white, cute ribbon in her hair.

They exchanged glances. Elena's was reassuring, Vincent's was mildly hysterical.

She pressed the buzzard.

The door opened wide with both Elena's parents standing in the doorway. In unison, they scanned Vincent toe to head:

**Black** boots. Slightly pointy.

**Black** pants. Ironed perfectly.

Bronze metallic claw. With sharp, curving digits.

**Black** shirt. Turtleneck.

And jet black hair that made his blood colored eyes shine brilliantly and emphasized his 'death on a bad day' complexion. 

"Holy… " Elena's mother mumbled in utter horror.

Vincent smiled sheepishly.

Elena's smile faded, leaving a hollow expression. This didn't start as she hoped it would.

It started as she hoped it wouldn't.

Then, with a roll of her eyes, Mrs. Soir fainted.

Vincent was the first to react, leaping to her side and grabbing her before she fell. He lowered her to the floor while Elena lifted her feet. 

Elena's mother opened her eyes, only to meet Vincent's red eyes and faint again.

From there, Vincent knew, things would only get worse.

"Please, Mom, _try_ to calm down." Elena begged. She, her mom and her father were in their bedroom. The mother had a damp towel on her forehead and was acting overly dramatic. Elena was miserable while Vincent awkwardly sat in the living room with Elena's young sister. 

Elena's mother, Elisabeth Soir, was a broad woman in her late fourties. She had brown reddish hair and may have been pleasant looking in her youth. Now she was… Full.

"I'm trying, dear," She replied weakly, "I'm trying…"

"So." Elena's sister (Michelle) started a conversation, finally giving up on Vincent starting it. The later didn't even have plans in that direction. "How come you look like a refugee from the freak show?"

Vincent wasn't at all insulted by the remark, he was quite used to that kind of reaction. In fact, the blunt question brought a smile to his lips. Michelle was sprawled on the sofa, looking at Vincent intently.

"Heard about Shinra?" He replied, flexing his claw's digits absently.

"Sure I did," she retorted with a hint of insult, "I'm not **that** young."

"How old are you?"

"15.5" She stuck her chin up with pride. She had certain similarities to Elena, but her chin was stronger and her hair darker, not to mention shorter.

Vincent took a deep breath and tried to find the shortest, less detailed version of his story that wouldn't have to include the parts that he didn't like. It left little… Actually, it practically left only the connecting words. But before he could start, Michelle said,

"Is it true that Hojo did this to you 'cause you fancied his wife?"

Vincent was struck rather speechless, but managed to say with a frown,

"Yes… That's more or less it. How do you know that?"

Again she stuck up her chin, she thought it made her look older and more mysterious, when it actually just made her nostrils look big. She laughed and said,

"Elena has a soft spot for melodrama, you see, so one day she walks into the living room all mushy, so I ask her 'what's _your_ problem?' and she's like sighing and stuff- all mushy, see, and so she tells me about this boyfriend of her's that has a really melodramatic life, and so I'm like 'what?', and she told me most of it, she's really has a soft spot for melodrama, you see."

Vincent simply blinked a long moment, his brain slowly interpreting the flow of words.

"I see." He finally said coolly.

"What do you think your parents think about me?" He asked awkwardly.

"Oh, they hate you," She said with a smile, "they didn't like any of Elena's boyfriends since they first met Tsang. They liked Shinra, see, they, like, got most of their money from investing in it, see, and when it fell, it, like, kainda ruined us a little, see, so they really liked Tsang 'cause he was, like, a Turk, see, and since then they hate every boyfriend she had, see," here she paused a short moment to draw breath, "Except James." She concluded.

Vincent raised one brow and asked a bit suspiciously,

"Who's James?"

Michelle opened her mouth to talk, or rather, to babble, but Elena's father, Smith, entered the room with a big, warm, forced smile. Vincent raised courteously as he approached. Smith's smile widened, and he reached out his hand to Vincent, who was glad he wasn't left handed.

"Sorry we weren't properly introduced before- I'm Smith Soir, Elena's father."

The handshake was short and weak. Vincent tried not to look too intimidating yet not timid.

"Vincent." 

He decided best not to tell them his last name. If they were on the Shinra side, they might of heard of AVALANCHE and of his association with them. He was sure it wouldn't make them like him any better.

"A pleasure to meet you," Smith nodded his head,

Ya, right.

"Please sit down! Don't stand on my account." He gestured to Vincent to sit down and sat on the opposite sofa, forcing Michelle to move.

A long silence followed, disturbed by the distant organizing of dishes. Smith gave his youngest daughter a meaningful look, that she didn't understand, so she simply stared back at him. Finally he said,

"Go help you mother and sister in the kitchen, love."

She got up and went to the kitchen, more than happy to leave the center of tension. Vincent got up and wanted to go help as well, but Smith motioned him to sit down,

"Let the women do the kitchen work." He decided. Vincent nodded and sat down. 

Another long silence came.

If he was the same as he was when younger, he would of never gotten up, but Lucrecia taught him differently… his cheek still would throb when the weather would change.

"How old are you, sonny?" Smith broke the silence,

Older then you are…

"27, sir."

Silence.

Then another silence, shorter this time.

"Come to the table!" Elisabeth's voice rang noisily from the kitchen. Vincent was sure to get up only after Smith did.

Sometimes thecourtesy they thought you as a Turk can be really useful.

He walked after Mr. Soir to the kitchen. Elena and Michelle were already seated and Mrs. Soir brought all sorts of meals to the table;

Steamed potatoes in sour cream, Smoked salmon with quail eggs, an assorted cabbages salad… Most of the dishes Vincent couldn't even recognize, but he suspected them to be no less fancy then the rest.

It seemed that while Shinra collapsed, the Soir family had managed to save a good portion of their money.

Elena seemed to deliberately avoid eye contact with him.

Elizabeth offered him a chair across to Elena, which he sat in, thanking her.

On his right side sat Michelle, sending curious looks in his direction. On his left side sat, to his horror, Elizabeth Soir.

They ate.

Vincent unleashed everything he knew about manners and curtsy from his Turks days, hoping not to make too many mistakes, and keeping his claw under the table.

"Pass the gravy, please…?" Elena asked timidly, (They hardly talked in dinner, the Soirs, so a dreadful, anxious silence loomed over the meal, taking away the little taste the food could have to Vincent.)

He had to pass her the saucer with both hands, what only increased the tension. He had to extend the bronze colored metal arm across the table to reach her. 

It glimmered under the fluorescent light.

"Please, try **not** to scratch the china…" Elena's mother requested, mentioning the sharp fingers.

When Elena took the dish from him, he was quick to withdraw his hand back, knocking over his glass in the rush. Luckily for him, it was empty, and the claw only scratched the glass a little. Vincent was sure that without his enhanced sight, the scratch would be practically invisible.

While painfully swallowing down the food before him, he vaguely wondered why Elena refused to meet his eye, or why she seemed so uncomfortable with him around. Was she ashamed that she had such an atrocity as a boyfriend? Did she regret him coming? Maybe she was sorry that of all the men she could meet, normal and friendly, she met him?

It's hard to eat while everybody's constantly looking at you.

Except Elena.

If there was a time when Vincent wished that Sephiroth's plan did succeed and all life would be erased from existence, it was now.

After what seemed to Vincent like another thirty years of torture (and just as fun), the meal was over. The women got up and started tidying up. Still Elena wouldn't look at him, no matter how hard he tried to catch her gaze with his. He needed a reassuring smile now more then ever. 

Maybe she _is_ ashamed…?

"Vinnie boy," Smith opened. Now that dinner was over, the **real** torture could start. Vincent was never good at expressing himself. "What is it exactly that you do for a living?"

Vincent feared this question.

"I… I am not in any particular business at the moment, sir." He replied. He glanced towards the sink and saw Mrs. Soir holding up his drinking glass and examining it. She smiled a little, 'knew it' smile and before Vincent's eyes, tossed it into the bin. Vincent said nothing and returned his look to Smith.

"I see, why try something that you know you can't do, huh?" He laughed and Vincent smiled weakly, nodding vaguely.

He felt that he was expected to say something, so he said,

"I used to be a Turk, sir."

That made everybody in the room freeze for a split second. Except Elena, who was drying the dished like there was no tomorrow.

"You were?" Suddenly Elizabeth's attention focues on the red eyed daughter threat.

"Yes." He nodded, "It was some time ago, and one might say that I went on an early retairment." Smith smiled, presuming that he meant the fall of Shinra. 

"What happened to that other Turk friend you had, love?" He called to Elena.

"He's dead father. Over a year now." She replied icily. Elena's father only smiled and looked back at Vincent.

"A pity. Was a nice chap. Did you know him, sonny?"

Vincent would wish Smith would stop smiling so much. Either that or he wished he brought his gun. He blinked away the homicidal thoughts with a "Pardon?"

"I asked if you knew that Turk chap? What was his name?"

"Tsang." Elena's voice was getting colder by the minute.

"Right. Tsang, that's was the lad's name- Knew him?"

"No, not personally, sir."

Elena's mother was standing near Vincent, scanning him from above. Vincent tried not to twitch or meet her eye, fearing she'll faint again.

Smith continued, oblivious. He straightened up in his seat and called to Elena again,

"Love, what was the name of that other blok? The one that came over the other day, looking for you?" A thunder rolled. A storm was coming 

Elena carefully placed the last plate down. She looked at her father calmly, but if looks could kill, her father wouldn't have enough left of him to bury.

"James." She said with ice that chilled the room a few degrees.

"Right, James, nice blok, why didn't you invite him over as well, love?"

Vincent listened to the exchange with rising suspicion and even some dread.

Again? Another man? What was it with him and women who had boyfriends? At least this time she's not the guy's wife… Yet.

Again he felt the ever so familiar pain in his heart. Outside, his face remained unchanged.

The conversation continued a little while he wasn't listening. Elena's parents looked at her severely, and she seemed on the verge of exploding.

Vincent figured it must be something he'd done or said. She found out what he was and now she regretted the whole relationship.

There goes that pain again.

"Vincent," Elena turned to him. He resisted the urge to cringe under her hard look, "Could you please wait a minute in the living room? I need to talk to my parents a moment."

"Certainly." He said, then he left the room to the living room.

Once he left, Elena turned to her parents. Her anger had finally surfaced, her cheeks blushed and the lightning in her eyes competed with the ones striking outside.

She whispered angrily, remembering what she heard about Vincent's hearing. She knew he wouldn't try to eavesdrop- but she wanted to make sure he wouldn't hear.

On the sofa in the living room he sat alone. The storm out side pured down. Drops of rain streaming down the window.

He concentrated on the noise that the rain made to block out the conversation in the next room. He could hear it easily if he wanted to, but still he had no way of avoiding catching snippets of it, though he could not, and would not discern who said what. Words like;

"…Clawed freak…" "…No good…" "…James already asked for your hand, we said yes…"

He concentrated harder on the rain. The tiniest splatters each dropped met as it hit the window... Then thunder rolled and in the silence that remained after it he heard clearly as if they were standing by him;

"…don't want you to ever see that horrid monster with a claw again!"

Vincent's placid face was a stark contrast for what went out in his innards.

'Again? Why must it happen again? It's not fair! **NO**!'

The pain in his heart grew fierce.

His stoic, cold eyes scanned the room aimlessly, trying to find someway to ease the pain. Then he spotted just the thing.

'What have I done wrong this time? It's not fair! I tried! DAMMIT. It's not fair… What must I do? Have I no right for a little happiness? DAMMIT. Warmth… love… Caring… They aren't worth anything to me… I'll never… Am not capable of love… Being loved…'

A long time did the bickering in the kitchen continued. Elena was on the verge of tears as she stormed out of the kitchen. She called Vincent… she needed the strength he gave her…

She froze. And looked around. He was gone.

Elena picked up a little note placed on the coffee table, it read:

'To the Soir family,

Thank you for dinner.

Vincent Valentine.'

She read it out loud, disbelieve in her voice,

"Valentine?" Smith asked, "Isn't he from AVALANCHE?" 

Elizabeth nodded, "Aren't they incredibly rich after all the mess last year?"

Both parents were silent a moment, then Smith looked at Elena and smiled,

"Too bad he's gone, wasn't such a bad blok, after all."

Elena shook with a wanting to kill them both. Her Turk instincts were hard to supress- anger a Turk only if you've got nothing to live for. She breathed in deeply and tried to think clearly:

Where could he go?

Another thunder rattled the windows, and Elena, peeking out of the window by the door, saw that the car was still in the driveway.

That means…


	10. 10: Chili Kainda Love

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**_Blind Love, Chapter 10, "Chili Kainda Love."_**

Elena ran into the last resort that her mind could think of in a last ditch effort to find him.

The door of the 'The Drunkard' slammed after her as she stood panting in the entrance.

She's been at a dozen places looking for her little renegade.

She heard how depressed he could get and how women hurt him before. She just hoped with all her heart that he didn't do anything to himself.

"Excuse me," She walked towards the barman, shaking her coat to dryit,

"Have you seen a tall, dark, moody looking man-?"

"Ya mean, like, Vincent Valentine? Like, Claw for a hand, red eyes,like?"

Kither Waterknob, the bartender, pointed to a table in one of the darker corners of the bar.

She followed that extended finger and hardly saw him, sitting in a lonely table in the dimness.

She didn't hurry now. She found him.

She walked among the few people who sat there. They ignored her, obviously.

All her attention was on that man, who looked so broken, so lonely, so hurt, so desperate. All those with just holding an half empty glass in his claw arm and leaning his head on his other. His hair fell over his shoulder, hiding most of his face. But as Elena knew she would find his face, it was emotionless

"Vincent…?" She whispered when she stood by his table.

His head slipped from his hand, and he looked up at her. Elena noticed that his eyes were unfocused.

His face expressed nothing and he said nothing. He stared at her for a short moment, and then returned to his glass. His bandanna lay on the tablein front of him.

"Wha' are you doin' here?" He asked quietly, his Wutaien accentsurfacing on a sea of alcohol.

"May I sit?" she indicated the free seat across from him.

He did not reply, so she sat.

"Are you okey?" she asked with concern, leaning to him and placing herarm on his claw. He withdrew it quickly to his lap.

He remained in stiff silence. He didn't look at her, his unsteady glare was only on the Martini.

"Are you drunk?"

After a paused for a short self-examination he replied,

"Yup."

They said nothing. Elena didn't know what to say, and Vincent didn't want to say anything, until he asked,

" Uh's James?"

Elena raised her brows in surprise and then sighed.

"He's no one." She said.

Vincent played with the glass.

"He's just this guy I met one day at the supermarket." She went on.

Anything but the uneasy silence. "He is nothing to me. He's a pompous rich kid and my parents knowhis parents. He decided that I'm in love with him and he bothers me ever since. I gave him my parentsaddress so Reno and Rude won't kill him."

Again the horrible silence fell between them.

"I don' deserve you." He spoke quietly, she looked at him in surprise, "I have nothin'."

"I don't need anything..." She replied, confused by his tone and hiswords.

After another awkward pause he sighed,

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" he mumbled, his eyes still fixed on theempty glass, watching the light refract on it in so many ways.

"For what?" She tried to meet his eye, but to no avail.

"For fallin' in love with you." He replied with a sigh.

At first she drew back in amazement, but then settled back in her seat with a little, maybe even a tad sad, smile.

"You fell in love with me?"

"Shhh…" He leaned forward and drunkenly placed his finger on her lips.

He felt very cold to her. "Shhh… Don' tell Elena." He said.

Her smile widened, she moved his finger but kept a hold of his cold hand.

"Why not?"

He drew back and left her grip, a deep frown creasing between his brows,

"She 'ates me."

"No she doesn't."

"Oh, yes, she does." He nodded his head a bit too strong, "She'ates me".

"I'm a clawed, deformed freak… I don' deserve 'appiness… love…" He was talking more to himself then to her.

His pain was deeper then she thought, deeper then what she was told or what he showed. She understood now what her friendship meant to him; by being with her he was willingly making himself vulnerable again.

And they hurt him, her family. No, she is to blame as well, she should have prepared her parents, she shouldn't have been afraid to show her affection in front of her family and she shouldn't of underestimated his hearing.

She was sure that he over heard some of her parent's harsh (to say the least) words. They said dreadful things, and they said them as if she thought the same when she didn't.

She looked to her lap a long moment, the only sounds were the other few conversations of people in the bar. The dark man in front of her said nothing. Elena searched her feelings, but she didn't have to search very deep to find what she needed to say.

"I love you too." She quietly said, to herself.

He raised his head and looked at her, uncertainty in his eyes.

"Wha?"

She met his eye with a defiant grin.

"I love you." Was all she said.

Something in his eyes changed.

It was fear, his eyes suddenly filled with fear. The drunken haze disappeared and was replaced with unmistakable dread. He looked at his surrounding confusingly, then at Elena. As if he had just woken up and realized what he had revealed. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it beforeuttering a word.

Then, without further notice, he got up abruptly, tripping the chair as hereached the back door and left in a hurry.

Elena wondered but a moment on his intentions as he left. She looked ather lap again. He was confused, he needed time to think.

Yes, she loved him. Because he was like a lost child that had nothing- andthat when he thought he had something, it was ripped away. He didn't wantto hurt anymore, that's all he ever wanted. She should let him go, and ifand when he feels ready, he'll come back.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

A thunder rattled the windows of the bar, and she suddenly remembered thestorm outside. Discarding her coat, she got up and rushed after him,mumbling his name with a sigh.

"Wait!" she cried out to him, shouting to overcome the roar of therain on the vast, empty parking lot they were in.

He didn't stop. He kept walking towards nothing, there were only grasshills in the direction he was heading, maybe even monsters.

"Wait!!" She cried again, but this time she was close enough to grabhisarm. He turned to her and to her surprise she found anger in his eyes.

"What do you want from me?!" He barked desperately, "I havenothing to give you!"

"I don't need anything!" she retorted, pulling his arm so he'd somehowlisten to her.

The rain had already gotten them both drenched. His bandanna-less hairclung to his face in thick strands and he breathed heavily. His tonesoftened,

"I have no home…" He said.

"We can rent something. Even in Rocket town, if you want to be close to your friends."

"I have no occupation."

"You have hobbies."

"I have no family."

"That doesn't matter."

He looked at the sky, and then at his feet, then at the sky again, thistime longer and letting the drops of rain fall upon his face. He closed hiseyes for a moment, then lowered his face and opened his eyes at Elena,

"I am a monster." He explained, showing her his left arm andindicating hiseyes, anything to let her somehow know who he is... to make her understandnow that he wasn't what she thought, that he was bad, evil, a monster.

Elena contorted her little nose.

"I don't think so."

"I am." He assured her. She saw no monster in his eyes, only pain andthebeauty of his heart. She took his claw in her hand and slipped her gentlefingers between his sharp metal ones.

"I… I don't care." If convincing him he wasn't a monster didn't helprightnow, she would try another strategy.

"You don't care?" he repeated in slight disbelief.

She nodded,

"No." Then she added, holding both of his shoulders so he'd fully turn

toher, "You see, Vincent Valentine, all I want or need right now- isyou."

He looked into her eyes a long moment, letting the drops of rain fall overthem both. He looked into her eyes, looking for a lie, looking forsomething ,anything, but all he found was care, concern and hope… and -something else. Something he knew but forgot, something he saw in anotherpair of eyes behind golden rimmed spectacles.

Had he forgotten what it was? No. It was still in his heart, simplydormant.

A feeling long forgotten, an emotion unmistakable.

He then stepped half a step closer to her.

He gently moved some wet strands out of her face. She smiled up at him.

placing both of his hands on her cheeks, and their lips met.

Her hands wrapped around his neck lovingly.

Out there, in the rain, in the deserted parking lot, both poring wet.

They kissed.


	11. 11: And they Lived Happily Ever After......

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**_Blind Love, Chapter 11: "And They Lived Happily Ever After… What?_**   


"WHERE THE &%^# WERE YOU?!?!?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WE WORRIED???"

Vincent cringed in his seat.

"You should of called! We were worried sick!!"

"YOU SHOULD BE GLAD THAT WE'RE NOT GROUNDING YOUR SORRY @$$!!!!"

"I'm… Sorry." Was all Vincent said.

Cid finally calmed down a little. Panting hard and still fuming.

"You said you'll be back by 11- Do you know what time is it now?? Huh?" He pointed accusingly at the clock behind him on the wall.

"12:49?" He asked timidly.

"YOU _bet_ it is! Me and Shera were about to go look for you!"

Here Shera added her voice, peeking above Cid's shoulder,

"We called everywhere, looking for you!"

"Next time, mister," Cid waved his finger in front of Vincent's face, causing the later crossed-eyes for a moment, "We won't let you leave the house without your PHS, got it??"

Vincent pressed his back to the chair, trying to edge away from Cid and Shera's fury.

"Ummm…" He mumbled, trying to change the subject, "What ended up with you two?"

Obviously, that wasn't the right thing to say at the moment. Shera and Cid glared at him with murder in their eyes with the remainder of the incident.

Vincent gulped nervously.

"You wanna know what happened, huh??" Cid shouted, waving his finger in front of Vincent's face again, "You and your big mouth! Ya lousy vampire!"

Cid then wrapped one hand around Shera's waist, pulling her very close to him and kissed her on the lips passionately.

When they finally separated, Cid regarded Vincent again,

"That's what happened, you snitching weirdo!"

Shera was left somewhat breathless, but very happy.

Vincent nodded his head and then said in feign casualty,

"Yeah, that's more or less what happened with me and Elena…" He cleaned his fingernails on his shirt and watched them as if they were really interesting.

Cid gaped at him, blinking in astonishment. Then he pounced on Vincent playfully, grabbing his head under his arm as if choking him, but he did something worse; a nuggy.

Vincent laughed as he protested and tried to break loose.

Eventually Vincent and Cid were fighting and laughing.

Shera, who had finally caught her breath, sighed and moved back so she won't be caught in the game,

"Men…"

Next morning, Vincent decided to surprise Elena.

He reached the sixth floor by the stairs again, panting. He adjusted his clothing and checked that his surprise had survived the ascent. It was fine.

Elena cautiously entered the elevator, being wary not to slip with her rollerblades. She checked that her groceries were intact after her hasty 'driving'.

Vincent pressed the door bell, hiding the humble buque behind his back.

Elena pressed the elevator button, and when it arrived at her floor, she pushed the wall with her free hand and zoomed into the corridor as she always did.

Vincent heard the elevator stop, but until he turned his head to check, Elena was half way towards him.

He had the agility to jump aside, but the only side there was, were the stairs to his right.

Elena crashed into him forcefully.

They both 'oofed' as vegetables and flowers flew to the air.

_Thump_

_Crash_

_Conk_

_Tumble_

**Thud.**

****

When it was all finished, Elena was alone on her behind in front of her apartment.

Disconcerted, she looked around until she spotted two pointy boots peaking from the stair's direction. She inhaled sharply and hastily took off her roller blades. When she finally pulled them off, she hurried to Vincent's side.

Vincent was spread across the stairs, his head on the platform between the stairs columns, and his feet all the way up the stairs, pointing one step from the sixth floor.

He had fallen about seven steps, all of which were now mostly smashed as his claw crashed against them, breaking the polished wood easily with it's mass.

"Vincent…" Elena sat down beside him, not knowing what to do. Her face was worried and her heart beats racing.

He did not respond. His eyes were lightly closed, his claw resting by his head and his other arm laying by his side, twisted in an unnatural position.

"Vincent!" She cried in worry.

Reno's head peeked from the apartment door.

Elena gingerly picked Vincent's head in one hand, placing her other hand on his chest, feeling that his heart was still beating.

His eyes flickered and then opened.

She sighed with relief.

He looked up at her and smiled,

"You okey?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes and nodded her head.

"Can you get up at all?"

He nodded and attempted to get up, but a fierce pain in his normal hand made him gasp in pain.

Elena bent over him with concern.

"I'm so sorry, Vince…" She mumbled as they were sitting at the hospital, the doctor examining Vincent's broken arm.

"It's okey." He assured her, "But… What do you say if we think about moving to a place of our own…? I don't think your house likes me…"

Elena blushed and nodded, "Every time you came over you got hit or mangled in one way or the other…"

Vincent smiled at her.

"Okey." The doctor returned with the x-ray results. He addressed them both,

"You arm is definitely broken," He sat across of Vincent and gently placed the broken arm on the table, "I'm going to set your hand, okey? This is really going to hurt, so…"

He produced a syringe filled with a tranquilizer from a cabinet and checked it, "I'm just going to tranquilize the arm and-"

"**No**!" 

Elena and the doctor looked at Vincent oddly after he exclaimed his protest so fiercely. He was sitting up straight in his seat, his face full of dread and his eyes fixed on the syringe,

"No…" He said, his voice forced and strain, "No needles… Please."

The doctor looked at him from the corner of his eyes,

"It's just one little shot… It's hardly going to hurt compared to setting your arm without an anesthetic…"

"No." Vincent repeated, shaking his head, gulping hard and not taking his eyes off the instrument in the doctor's hand, "No more needles… Please."

The doctor looked sideways at Elena, who could simply smile sheepishly. She, as well, did not understand Vincent's extreme reaction to the shot.

The doctor shrugged and got up,

"Well, then," He said, getting ready, "This, Mr. Valentine, is going to hurt."

"Wow." Elena said, licking a lollipop that Vincent got from the doctor after the setting, " You didn't even flinch!"

Vincent grumbled, "I've seen worse." He said darkly. His normal hand was in a cast and a sling. His eyes were fixed on the ground as they walked to the car at the hospital's parking lot.

"…Don't think… that was kainda… silly of you, though?" Elena cautiously asked him, unlocking the car and getting in, "I mean, I was scared of needles when I was little but…" she glanced at him and froze. He was looking at her with such cold and pained eyes, it sent a shiver down her spine.

She was unable to look away a while. Eventually she asked,

"Their's something I don't know, right?"

Vincent looked out of the window as she silently started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

He said,

"You said you read my file."

"I did."

"Do you remember what happens in the end of the file?"

She was silent a moment,

"…Lucrecia died…"

His gaze was still fixed on the passing view as he said coldly,

"Did it say what happened to me?"

Elena blinked in surprise. It indeed did not mention what had happened to Vincent himself when Lucrecia died.

"You wanted to know why I'm 67 years old… back then at the Gold Saucer…?"

"I thought you were kidding…" She mumbled.

This drive home turned to be very gloomy.

He started to tell her very vaguely what had happened, memories flashing in front of his eyes. He told her briefly about the 'experiments' for the very thought of them made him feel weak. All his story was told with all emotion deprived from his voice. Elena could hear the pain in it, though.

A very gloomy ride indeed.

Near the end of the story, a mere five minutes later, Elena stopped the car at the side of the road. She leaned her head on the wheel, emotionaly drained by his story.

He looked at her, silence taking the place of his chilling story. He reverted his eyes to his lap. He did not mean to whine or feel sorry for himself, but his tongue simply turned loose while he was with Elena.

"…I'm sorry." He said.

"For what?" She did not lift her head.

"I… Did not mean to tell you all this…"

She finally raised her head, and Vincent ignored the pressure mark on her forehead,

"Why not?" Her eyes drilled into his, and he had to look away. He absently passed his claw in his hair. He starred far into the grass fields that stretched out in every direction,

"I never meant to blabber."

Elena laughed,

"Blabber? You hardly told me anything."

He looked back to his lap. For him, he was seeing everything again. He told her everything briefly, but for him it was long as eternity.

Elena watched his solemn profile, leaning back in the driver's seat.

He told her the facts alone;

Hojo hated him, 'experimented' on him and locked him up.

What she wanted to know was what _he_ felt, what was it like for _him_.

She suspected strongly that when he said 'experiment', he meant… torture.

As odd as it sounded, she was curious what it must of feel like.

Dreadful.

By how does the mind cope with such an ordeal?

She understood now that he must be traumatized. It must be weird.

Then she noticed that he was looking back at her while she was pondering all these things. She blushed, as if she feared he saw what she was thinking and she looked away to her side. He looked back to his lap.

"It's getting dark." He said in a steady voice, then he added, just as plainly, "Here- For you."

She turned to him in surprise, and saw that he was holding a red rose to her in his claw.

It was rather crumpled.

"This is why I came by your house in the first place…" He was still looking at his lap, and he was quite blushed.

She smiled happily and took the rose. She smiled a big smile at Vincent, one that made her eyes little happy slits. He lifted his head, looked at her, and smiled as well.

He then sighed, pushing past thoughts to the side of his mind. Here he was, with a beautiful woman who actually _loved_ him, and there was no more Hojo, or ever will be.

He smiled back to her.

"You're leaving me??"

"I must."

"After all we shared together? After everything??"

"Cid! Cut it out! All me Elena are doing is moving to our own house, don't make such a drama out of it!"

Cid pouted.

Vincent shook his head in dismay,

"Listen, Cid, you and Shera- now that you two are together at last- will want your privacy, and I'll only be in your way. Besides, I'm sure me and Elena will want our privacy as well." Vincent placed his claw on Cid's shoulder and continued,

"You're my best friend, and we'll move to somewhere near. I have enjoyed your hospitality for a long time, and it's time I set out on my own."

Cid smiled back at him,

"I understand." He said, placing his hand on Vincent's shoulder as well.

Reno sniffed his nose. Elena's departure had struck his very core…

"Our Elena's all grown up and moving out…" He sobbed. Rude silently offered him his handkerchief, which he took and blew his nose noisily.

"But first," Elena smiled mischievously as she stood by the stereo, "Some music!"

Vincent saw the disc cover in her hand as she pressed the 'play'.

"No!"

She burst out with laughter as the tango came up.

Vincent grind his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. His mind was screaming '**Tangotangotango**!!!', yet Vincent would not yield. He would be stronger than this. He was in full cont-

His eyes flashed open as something wrapped itself around his waist and pulled him.

Elena flung her jacket away dramatically, a rose in her mouth.

Even with a broken arm, they danced the Tango.

Shera watched them contently.

Then without warning, Cid came behind her and pulled her with him to dance. He didn't really dance the Tango, but they still danced.

Reno watched them a moment, shrugged and invited Rude to dance with him. Rude silently smacked him on the top of the head.

Night, and the music purred out of the Highwind house down the street of Rocket Town. And everyone in that household was happy,

Even for a little while.

Yo! What do you think? I read it all over again to put it on Fanfiction.net with as few mistakes as possible. I hope you enjoyed it!

If you're interested in more stuff by me, or my fanart of Vincent and other Final Fantasy\RPG related stuff, feel free to drop by at my site!

Http://www.Geocities.com/LunarBlade/

And please don't forget to tell me what you think, eh?

Hope you liked it, I sure did enjoy writing it..

LunarBlade.


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